Since audiences were first introduced toChris Hemsworth’sbutt-kicking mercenaryTyler Rakein 2020’sExtraction, they’ve been thirsting for more stories about the Australian good guy with a troubled and tragic past. Three years have passed since directorSam Hargravemade his directorial debut with the title, and soon, he’ll be reteaming with Hemsworth andJoeandAnthony Russoto push Rake’s adventures over the cliff inExtraction 2. Before it was revealed that the follow-up would serve as a sequel to the original film, the rumor mill was busy suggesting that it may instead tell the story of the rogue mercenary’s life before he lost it all and went on a suicide mission to save a young boy—especially after Hargrave and Russo suggested that it could be a prequel story. During an interview with Collider’sSteve Weintraub, Hargrave revealed the decisions that led him and screenplay writer Joe Russo to instead see Rake’s life progress.
For those who may need a bit of a refresher, the main backbone of Tyler Rake’s purpose and drive was that he tragically lost his son to leukemia—giving him a soft spot for helping children (kind of). By the end ofExtraction, audiences would see how seriously Tyler took his job and how deeply his scars ran as he completed his mission to save the boy -seemingly sacrificing himselfwhile doing so. As we now know, Tyler isalive and as well enoughas he can be. But, as Hargrave says, keeping the secret of Tyler’s next move would be strongly pushed by Joe Russo “because he’s a smart businessman,” with Hargrave adding, “You don’t want to give too much away too early.”
Pushing the fandom off their trail, Hargrave admits that they were hoping to pull abait and switchwhen it came to whether the film would be a prequel or sequel. At the end of the day, it came down to what story they thought would better serve Tyler and be moreintriguing for the audience. “I don’t think you can [leave] an audience with that ending and then not go figure out what happened because that’s the question. Everyone’s like, “What? How? Who? When? How did that happen?” And so, we have to answer that question.”
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Sure, there are plenty of celebrated prequels out there includingRogue OneandAnnabelle: Creationthat better flesh out the other titles in their franchises but Hargrave knew thatExtraction 2wouldn’t hit the same way in prequel form. While diving into Rake’s past would’ve been an informative place to better understand the character, the original feature already painted a clear picture of why Rake had become the selfless yet traumatized and guilt-ridden fighter that we came to know him as. As Hargrave put it, “If we go backwards, now you’re rehashing the similar things of his past, right? It’s hard to get more emotionally fraught and higher stakes than your son dying of cancer, leukemia, right?” Noting that telling his story following his near-death experience would “be more powerful,” the creative team decided to give Rakeanother chance to save the daywhile still weaving his past into the mix.
What’sExtraction 2About?
Hemsworthreturns to actionas Tyler Rake for the follow-up film which will pick up after the events of the first feature.Returning to his callingas black ops mercenary, Rake gets right back to work for another life-threatening mission. This time, he’ll be rescuing the entire family of a Georgian gangster from the prison where they’re being held—a scene that’s already promising to delivertriple the actionof the last film.
Extraction 2lands on Netflix onJune 16. Check out the film’s trailer below:
