Russo Brothers Want 'Extraction' Sequel To Spawn A Whole 'Extraction' Cinematic Universe

Hey, remember Extraction? It's an utterly forgettable Netflix movie that got a lot of hype because it stars handsome man Chris Hemsworth and was produced by the Russo Brothers (Joe Russo also wrote it). Even though the action flick was pretty cut and dry and wrapped up its story rather definitively, it did really well (Netflix claims it's their most-watched original film ever) and a sequel is being developed. But that's not all. According to Joe Russo, the plan is to create an entire Extraction cinematic universe.

Joe and Anthony Russo know a thing or two about cinematic universes. They were at the helm of several Marvel movies, most notably the huge crossover events Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. But their cinematic universe plans don't stop at Marvel. In an interview with Collider, Joe Russo revealed plans to turn Extraction into a franchise. There's already one sequel in development, and when pressed for details on that, Joe Russo replied:

"I'm still not gonna commit because I think it's more exciting to surprise people, but I will say this: we are 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, and see more historical interaction between the characters. So if you're interested in David Harbour's character, you just may get to see him in a future Extraction movie."

In Extraction, Hemsworth's character Tyler Rake (yes, that's really his name) reconnects with an old Special Forces buddy named Gasper, played by David Harbour. It doesn't go so well – Gasper turns on Rake and the two get into a big fight. Now, it's time for some spoilers: Gasper ends up dead. And he's not alone there, because Extraction ends with Hemsworth's character also dying. He gets shot a bunch of times and falls into a river, where he stays – lifeless. We never actually see or hear anyone pronounce him dead, but it's pretty clear he's not long for this world. But based on what Joe Russo said above, they're going to get around that whole "our lead character is dead" thing by going a prequel route. And that might spiral out into multiple prequels involving other characters.

Russo also added:

"We're trying to find more interesting ways to tell these stories and cross-pollinate them. We're big fans of just forging new paths in narrative. Can we go backwards and forwards at the same time? Can things that happened in the past affect the movies in the present? What are new ways to tell those stories? And can we see different points of view? Every antagonist is the protagonist in their own story, so can we see their point of view? How do they perceive the world? What makes them empathetic? 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."

Again: Extraction was a big hit for Netflix. But is anyone out there really clamoring for an entire "Extraction universe"? I guess we'll have to wait and see.