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'Extraction 2' Director Sam Hargrave on Filming Plans, Raising the Action Bar, & Expanding the 'Extraction' Universe

The director of Netflix's 2020 action megahit updates us on the anticipated sequel.

Early in 2020, when it seemed like we might be deprived of fun, new movies, Netflix released Extraction. The action-packed feature stars Chris Hemsworth, is written by Joe Russo, and directed by Sam Hargrave. With a compelling, streamlined story and plenty of bone-crunching, nerve-rattling, attention-grabbing action set pieces, Extraction quickly became the biggest movie ever released on Netflix. Not long after its late April release, a sequel to Extraction was greenlit at Netflix with Russo and Hargrave set to return to their respective roles. Since we learned Extraction 2 was a go back in April 2020, the movie has been suspended in the early stages of production. Russo is still working on the script (although fans still have zero idea what to expect story-wise) and, as of December 2020, the word on the street was that filming would kick off some time in late 2021.

Collider's own Steven Weintraub wanted to get some more answers about Extraction 2 during a recent extended interview with Hargrave. One of the first things we wanted to nail down with Hargrave was the expected filming start date. When asked if it was still the case that Extraction 2 would film in the fall of this year, the director replied,

"[That's] still the case, COVID-pending. That's kind of everyone's little caveat right now, but we're moving forward on it as if we're shooting in the fall. Joe [Russo] is still finalizing the script. We're all excited to read it. I've read different iterations, but I'm excited to read what he turns in. We're all looking forward to getting back in the saddle and hopefully bringing another action-packed adventure in the 'Extraction' universe."

Beyond the plans for filming, we were also interested in gleaning as much information as possible about what to expect from the new movie. So, what was Hargrave able to tell us?

Well, for starters, we're endlessly curious about the kind of action we can expect from Extraction 2. So, we decided to ask Hargrave about it directly. Is he thinking about how he can up the ante on the action scenes in the Extraction sequel? Have there been talks about the action with other Extraction 2 team members? According to Hargrave,

"We talked about that extensively. Truthfully, I always walk around my house or walk around town looking for ways to do something fun or different with action. I kind of think as if there's a camera behind my eyes all the time like, 'What would be an interesting way capture this?', 'Oh, that'd be cool.' So I'm always cataloguing and trying to get different, fun ways to capture action and different action set pieces that would be great. Joe and I talked a lot about that, pitched some ideas, bounced them around, and I'm just excited for the challenge."

Hargrave continued, "It is the difficult thing, right? But the beauty of all these different, great action films is they challenge filmmakers — myself included — to raise the bar. Like, how are we going to raise the bar when there's a lot of movies that have come out. Even since Extraction, a lot of movies have come out and been pushing the envelope and we gotta push back. We gotta keep elevating the level of action."

We were also curious to get Hargrave's thoughts about the Russo brothers' plans for an Extraction universe. The concept of an extended Extraction universe was something the director/writer/producer team teased during our lengthy CCXP panel back in December 2020.

"I think Joe and Anthony [Russo], that whole AGBO team, are brilliant in that building upon the Marvel universe aspect where a lot of these films connect and intersect in their journeys with characters," Hargrave told us. "They're building on that model in the Extraction universe and there is a lot of opportunity to follow characters that people have shown an affinity for and sounds like they want to know more about."

Given this, would Hargrave want to keep directing movies set in the Extraction universe? The director told us,

"So, [as far as] my personal involvement, 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. Hopefully we get to do the second one with all the same team and really establish the franchise, if you will. But from there I would love to see, as a fan of cinema, other young directors who, again, can push the level of action."

Of course, our conversation with Hargrave covered a lot more territory than what you've read here, including some insights into collaborating with Russo and forming a plan for filming in these early production stages. But these insights into Extraction 2 are some of the most enticing and, thankfully, should tide us over until more new updates emerge.

Extraction is currently available to stream on Netflix. Stay tuned for our full conversation with Sam Hargrave. For more, find out which 50 action movies we've deemed essential viewing for film fans.