With "Extraction 2" on everyone's minds, we looked into what the new action epic will be
about, who's involved, and how the heck Tyler Rake is still alive. Check it out.
There's no denying that audiences love "Extraction," especially considering
that Netflix says that it's one of their biggest successes of all time. While the
film didn't get the best reviews with only a 67% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes,
it nonetheless amassed a devoted following of audiences eager for a new action series. That's
why fans of "Extraction" have been vocally enthusiastic online since the exciting teaser
trailer. "Extraction 2" and its teaser trailer have gone viral since the trailer was released,
with fans posting thousands of reaction videos, breakdowns, and speculations about where the
story will go. One person on Reddit pretty much summed up the fandom's energy, writing:
"Chris Hemsworth beating dudes to a pulp with his
fist on fire. Please inject this directly into my body."
After the announcement of the "Extraction" sequel,
the biggest question for fans ultimately boiled down to whether or not Chris Hemsworth's character
Tyler Rake would appear in the film. Hemworth's combination of acting skills, combat heroics,
and sheer star power played a big part in making "Extraction" the success that it was,
and the movie deliberately left the fate of its hero ambiguous.
As we now know, Hemsworth is enthusiastically returning to the burgeoning franchise,
with Rake apparently evading death. He will be joined by his co-stars from the original
"Extraction," Golshifteh Farahani as Nik Khan and Adam Bessa as Yaz.
Alongside these familiar faces will undoubtedly be a new crew of allies
and villains. We know that the actors who have signed on for
the sequel include Daniel Bernhardt and Olga Kurylenko, among others.
"Extraction 2" began filming in November 2021, just a year and a half after the release of the
original "Extraction." It wrapped in spring 2022, and has been in post-production for nearly a year.
"And so it begins. Post-production on Extraction 2"
Chris Hemsworth reported via Twitter that he was back in Prague filming reshoots for
"Extraction 2" in November 2022, so it's clear that this post-production period was
an extensive process. Fans will get a chance to see the sequel to this beloved action film
when it begins streaming on Netflix on June 16, 2023. Mark your calendars, Rake fans.
Fans of "Extraction" will remember that things didn't end well for its hero,
the well-intentioned mercenary, Tyler Rake. The character has an intricate backstory rivaling
something out of a Tom Clancy book. He began his military service as a Special Air Service
Regiment operative in the Australian Army before transitioning to private mercenary
work. Rake's fate remains uncertain at the end of the first movie when he is shot in the neck
before falling into a river. A mysterious figure appears before the credits roll,
and audiences couldn't help but guess that Rake survived.
It was obvious that Tyler Rake would be returning if an "Extraction 2" was ever made,
but it was unclear to audiences how he could have survived his injuries.
The recent teaser trailer gives more context to the situation which brings Rake back to the land
of the living. A voiceover in the trailer speaks over a scene of Rake getting hit in
the head during a prison outbreak, recalling past memories that provide helpful exposition.
"Tyler, you were clinically dead nine months ago."
We can't wait to see how Tyler Rake survived his first "Extraction" to fight another day.
"It's pretty damn exciting."
"Extraction" struck an interesting balance between high-octane action
and subtle mystery surrounding its stoic main character. As the story peeled back layers
of his life as an Australian soldier and his complicated family situation,
it became clear that our hero wasn't always a cold-blooded black market mercenary.
Fans have been craving more information about who Rake was before the events of "Extraction" and,
according to the recent teaser trailer, they're finally going to get some.
For "Extraction 2," the filmmakers seem to be diving into the past before Rake became
a full-time soldier of fortune using flashbacks as a way to develop his backstory. There's been
consistent speculation that the story will feature scenes set long before the events of the main
story to give glimpses at Rake's life as an SASR operator in Australia. In a way, this has been
confirmed by Hemsworth himself during a discussion about the "Extraction 2" trailer when he said,
"This is all the flashback to, well, even before the first film."
When it comes to classic moments in the action genre,
it's hard to beat a good old-fashioned prison break. Going all the way back to
classic films like "The Great Escape" and "Escape from Alcatraz," these films showcase
classic obstacles where characters have to break out of places that seem impenetrable. While the
details regarding the plot of "Extraction 2" were unclear for a long time, the recent teaser trailer
gives audiences an abundance of prison-break action that's clearly a core part of the story.
The teaser trailer takes place almost entirely within a chaotic scene of violent
mayhem as Tyler Rake attempts to rescue a woman from a prison riot. This scene
is punctuated by Rake fighting hand-to-hand combat against armored guards using shields,
batons, and even Molotov cocktails. According to the official synopsis,
the prison in "Extraction 2" will be an essential setting for the plot. The summary reads,
"After barely surviving the events of the first movie, Rake is back as the Australian black ops
mercenary, tasked with another deadly mission: rescuing the battered family
of a ruthless Georgian gangster from the prison where they are being held."
"You want to live longer? Do a bunch of death-defying things that may kill you."
"Extraction" had a modest budget of around $65 million that went primarily to its action set
pieces and on-screen talent. It's no secret that "Extraction" was a massive financial success for
the Russo Brothers as well as Netflix. When the original film was released back in 2020,
it ended up becoming one of the most-viewed pieces of original content ever made,
with over 99 million households tuning in within the first four weeks of the movie's availability.
Chris Hemsworth even commented on the popularity of "Extraction" in an Instagram post.
"Hey what's up guys? Hope you're doing well. I just want to say a massive thank you to everyone
that checked out Extraction. You've made it the #1 film on the planet right now."
This made it clear to producers that "Extraction" was a new franchise that
sells — and a sequel will need to go even bigger to up the ante. With all
the main players returning for round two, there's a high likelihood of that happening.
Chris Hemsworth is a household name thanks to his tenure as the otherworldly comic book god Thor,
one of the core members of the Avengers. But that's only scratching the surface of
his talent. Hemsworth has proven himself to be an entertaining and versatile performer
who can do everything from thrilling action to gut-busting comedy in films such as "Thor:
Love and Thunder," "Blackhat," "Ghostbusters," and "Rush."
"I'll just start my own team. Team Thor, of course."
In "Extraction," of course, Hemsworth leans into the high-octane action as Tyler Rake
in a near-endless stream of white-knuckle chases and fight scenes. While it's clear that Hemsworth
enjoys playing characters with a bit of humor to them, he has also shown significant enthusiasm for
returning to his action-packed performance in "Extraction 2." During a recent interview with
Still Watching Netflix, Hemsworth broke down the film's teaser trailer, saying,
"I'm excited for people to see the emotional sort
of story behind this character and who these characters were."
If Chris Hemsworth is excited, you know the rest of us are, too.
Fans might be surprised to learn that the first "Extraction" was the directorial
debut of Sam Hargrave, who blew away all doubts with an action-packed hit debut.
Having gotten his start in the entertainment industry as a stunt coordinator and stuntman,
Hargrave followed in the footsteps of other action directors like John Wick's
Chad Stahelski he took his expertise from the stunt world and made action-packed magic.
"I'm definitely in my element."
While "Extraction" was a big success for Hargrave, there was uncertainty about whether or not he
would come back to direct the sequel. Of course, we now know those doubts were unfounded. However,
don't expect Hargrave to remain strapped to the director's chair for all future
Rake tales. During an interview with Collider in 2021, Hargrave expressed
doubt about whether he would direct more films in the Extraction universe. He said,
"I would like to be as involved as possible but I also don't want to be greedy. There's a lot of
other super-talented filmmakers out there who would have very unique visions and would bring
something new and fresh to the franchise that I would be excited to see as a fan."
Despite this honest sentiment, it seems as though he couldn't
stay away from the franchise he helped create for at least one more outing.
In today's Hollywood, there are few producers who can match the success of the Russo Brothers.
Cutting their teeth on wildly successful comedy shows like "Arrested Development" and "Community,"
the Russos were able to prove their value and pivot to directing mainstream works
like Marvel's "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Captain America: Civil War."
Not only was "Extraction" produced by the Russo Brothers, the screenplay was written by Joe
Russo as well. As more information about "Extraction 2" has been brought to light,
it's become clear that the Russo Brothers are as intimately involved in this sequel
as they were with the first film, and they're clearly excited about
the direction it takes. During a 2022 interview with Collider, Joe Russo said,
"It has a different color schematic. It's set in a different part of the world. It
has a different pace, a different tone than the first one. And that, to us, is an interesting
way to approach serializing a story, is that it's more surprising and unexpected."
As with most movies in development since 2020, "Extraction 2" was heavily impacted
by the global COVID-19 pandemic. The day-to-day aspects of traditional film production had to
be completely transformed. Action movies require significant in-person interaction,
tight working spaces, and the faces of actors likely need to be seen without masks.
Production for "Extraction 2" began in earnest around September 2021 in Sydney,
Australia. However, pandemic safety requirements at that time meant the crew
had to make significant changes. The principal photography location was moved from Australia
and according to the Sydney Morning Herald, the COVID delays pushed Chris Hemsworth into
scheduling conflicts that jeopardized the shoot. To accommodate the timeline, "Extraction 2" was
shot mostly in the European cities of Prague and Vienna rather than Sydney, as originally planned.
According to one Austrian site, the production team for this soon-to-be Netflix hit actually
began filming in Austria's capital of Vienna back in January of 2022. They shot close to
notable landmarks such as the DC Towers in Donau City. While other films such as "Mission
Impossible 5" have filmed scenes in similar locations in Vienna, "Extraction 2" is considered
one of few big-budget films to shoot on location in this historic European city.
If the Russo Brothers are good at one thing, it's creating expansive universes on the big
screen. After ushering in the end of an era for the Marvel Cinematic Universe with "Avengers:
Endgame" and showcasing the infinite nature of the multiverse with their production credits
on 2022's "Everything Everywhere All At Once," the Russo Brothers clearly know
how to produce a major cinematic event. This is probably why they have their sights set
on turning "Extraction" into something much bigger than a one-hit-wonder action flick.
During an interview with Collider, Joe and Anthony Russo spoke about the possibility of
an "Extraction" sequel. They discussed their ambitious hopes to transform the
series into a multifaceted universe of different interconnected stories.
"We're trying to find more interesting ways to tell these stories and cross-pollinate them."
They went on to explain the worldwide appeal of these films by adding,
"I think what makes that a compelling element to the Extraction universe is it is a global
franchise telling global stories, and we'd like to diversify the point of view in those movies."