Extraction Director Sam Hargrave Is Hoping To Make A Tyler Rake Trilogy
Back in 2020, Netflix served up "Extraction," apparently at just the right moment as the film became one of the most-watched streaming movies of 2020. Writer Joe Russo tried to wring some emotion from his story of a black market mercenary rescuing the son of a drug lord but basically penned a non-stop shoot 'em up with a kind-of-cool 12-minute one-take shot.
But according to Netflix's viewing figures, that turned out to be a winning formula, which of course meant the streamer greenlit a sequel. And now, two years after the first movie debuted, we're about to see the return of Chris Hemsworth's Tyler Rake as he embarks on a new mission to extract the family of a Georgian gangster from some hellish confinement. And it seems this time around, Russo and director Sam Hargrave have somehow managed to push the action even further, with "Extraction 2" promising to deliver a 21-minute oner in the form of a prison fight that, according to Hemsworth, is the, "hardest thing he's ever done."
At the end of "Extraction," Hemsworth's ex-Australian Army man seemingly perished after being shot in the neck and falling off a bridge. But as the "Extraction 2" trailer revealed, somehow Tyler Rake returned from the dead and is ready to take on hordes of ruthless combatants and faceless thugs. Whether this new installment will fare as well as the first remains to be seen — especially since we're not all locked inside during a global pandemic this time around. But if it does, this won't be the last time we see Tyler Rake indulging in some hardcore extracting.
Extraction 3 depends on Extraction 2's success
You might think a sort-of-cool action movie would be allowed to have its moment and fade into obscurity as the ever-escalating waves of streaming "content" continue to roll. But this is the age of the cinematic universe, and back in 2020 the Russo brothers threatened to unleash yet another series of interconnected movies off the back of "Extraction," telling Collider they were, "working at building out a universe of films that could potentially explore some of the other characters from the first movie and some new characters."
These spin-off projects are yet to materialize, with Netflix seemingly waiting to see how "Extraction 2" fares in a lockdown-free market. But should the latest installment do well, you can count on at least a third movie focused on Tyler Rake. In an interview with respected periodical BroBible, director Sam Hargrave revealed that he's not only up for directing a third "Extraction" movie, but that the wheels are already turning. He said:
"We're kind of waiting to see how the second movie is received. Fingers crossed, if people enjoy the second one, there already is — and this is without spoiling anything — but there is a story in development for a third movie in the works. What it is exactly, I can't say right now, but I believe there is another adventure in the wind for Tyler Rake."
The filmmaker also confirmed that Chris Hemsworth is "interested in perhaps reprising the role" of Tyler Rake. Which means all the pieces are in place for the unstoppable mercenary to once again lay waste to the Netflix charts should his latest extraction mission prove popular enough.
Will this be Tyler Rake's last extraction?
At this point, the future of "Extraction" as a franchise looks to rest on how well the second movie does when it launches on Netflix. In the meantime, Chris Hemsworth is taking a break from the spotlight to spend time with his family following the revelation that he has a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. And considering the man was literally set on fire for the brutal one-take fight in "Extraction 2," I'd say he's earned a bit of a rest.
But that clearly doesn't mean he's done with the role of Tyler Rake, with Sam Hargrave telling BroBible that while Hemsworth is, "taking a step back to spend more time with family," ultimately there's a "desire to take this character as far as it can go" among the whole cast and crew.
Just how far the character can go remains to be seen. There were some poignant moments between Rake and the boy in his charge, Ovi (Rudraksh Jaiswal), during "Extraction" but the action is the obvious draw here. It'll be interesting to see whether Hargrave and co. have pushed it far enough this time around to justify the ongoing existence of "Extraction" movies.
"Extraction 2" hits Netflix on June 16