In a year that saw massive movies delayed or marred by theater closures, Netflix’s Extraction proved to be a success. Although the Chris Hemsworth-led film was always meant to hit streaming, I don’t think anyone could have predicted how much of an impact it would have. Not only did it receive mostly positive reviews from critics, but it also became the most-watched film in Netflix’s history. So it didn’t come as much of a surprise when the streamer greenlit a sequel. However, writer and producer Joe Russo is now teasing much more for the future of Extraction.
Joe Russo, who most know for his work within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, wouldn’t give too many specifics, but he says the streamer is considering creating a universe of Extraction-related films. As a result, a few of the film’s characters could end up with spinoffs of their own:
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.
Extraction introduced a lot of interesting characters, each with different shades of grey. With this, there’s definitely plenty of room to flesh them out. When it comes to spinoffs, David Harbour’s Gaspar is definitely a prime candidate. It would be nice to see a prequel film that chronicles his life before the events of the film. It would also be cool to see young Ovi headline a film of his own.
Based on Joe Russo’s comments to Collider during its CCXP panel, it sounds like Joe and Anthony Russo are taking some cues from the MCU in crafting this new world. So it would seem that audiences can definitely expect a bit of crossover:
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.
The MCU has become a template for mapping out cinematic universes, though studios that have tried to replicate have ended up with varying results. However, the Extraction franchise does have a leg up due to the Russo Brothers’ involvement. During their time at Marvel, the two handled four of the biggest films in the franchise. Needless to say, they’re great fits for the world of Extraction.
What Extraction spinoffs would you like to see? Let us know in the comments!
