Extraction 2 confirmed by Joe Russo; unsure whether the Netflix movie will be a sequel or prequel

(Image credit: Netflix)

Extraction – the Chris Hemsworth starring actioner – has been viewed by a record 90 million households, according to Netflix, beating out the streaming service's former biggest hits Spenser Confidential (85 million), 6 Underground (83 million), and Bird Box (80 million). Inevitably, a sequel has been announced.

Deadline has the scoop, revealing that Joe Russo will return to script the second Extraction movie. However, whether the events of the future film will take place before or after the first Extraction remains unknown.

“The deal is closed for me to write Extraction 2, and we are in the formative stages of what the story can be,” Russo said. “We’re not committing yet to whether that story goes forward, or backward in time. We left a big loose ending that leaves question marks for the audience.”

Spoilers for Extraction – the Netflix flick ends on an ambiguous note as Hemsworth's Tyler Rake, thought dead, seemingly returns. His image, though, is blurry, and a sequel could certainly go either way with the character. There's also enough intrigue in Rake that a prequel would be an interesting, though perhaps unnecessary, direction to take.

“There was always a simple drive to the story, a balletic execution of action where you take a damaged character who made an egregious mistake in the past and has a shot at redemption which might be fatal,” Russo added. “What was key is that we needed a muscular action director like Sam [Hargrave] to be the main creative force in the execution of the action.”

Whatever the case, fingers crossed that Hargrave returns to direct. Extraction featured an incredible one-shot, and Hargrave spoke to GamesRadar+ about how he pulled off the incredible feat of filmmaking. Neither Netflix of Russo has confirmed a release date for Extraction 2: Return of Rake (not official title).

Jack Shepherd
Freelance Journalist

Jack Shepherd is the former Senior Entertainment Editor of GamesRadar. Jack used to work at The Independent as a general culture writer before specializing in TV and film for the likes of GR+, Total Film, SFX, and others. You can now find Jack working as a freelance journalist and editor.