Ever since viewers were first introduced to Chris Hemsworthcheeky mercenary Tyler Reik in the 2020s Miningthey are hungry for new stories about an Australian good guy with a troubled and tragic past. It’s been three years since director Sam Hargrave debuted as a director with this title and he will soon be reunited with Hemsworth and Joe And Anthony Russo push Reik’s adventures off a cliff in Extract 2. Before it was known that the sequel would be a continuation of the original film, there were rumors that it could instead tell the life story of a rogue mercenary before he lost everything and went on a suicide mission to save a little boy, especially after Hargrave and Russo suggested that it could be a prequel story. During an interview with Collider’s Steve WeintraubHargrave spoke about the decisions that led him and screenwriter Joe Russo to see progress in Reik’s life instead.
For those who might need a little retraining, Tyler Rake’s main goal and ambition was that he tragically lost his son to leukemia, which gave him a weakness for helping children (sort of). By the end Mining, viewers get to see just how serious Tyler took his job and how deep his scars were as he completed his mission to save the boy, seemingly sacrificing himself in the process. As we now know, Tyler is alive and as healthy as can be. But, Hargrave says, Joe Russo strongly insisted on keeping the secret of Tyler’s next move “because he’s a smart businessman,” and Hargrave added, “You don’t want to reveal too much too soon.”
Hargrave admits that by pushing the fandom off their trail, they were hoping to take the bait and switch when it came to whether the film would be a prequel or a sequel. In the end, it all came down to which story they thought would serve Tyler better and be more intriguing to the public. “I don’t think you can [leave] an audience with that ending and then not find out what happened because it’s a question. Everyone’s like, “What? How? WHO? When? How did this happen?” So we have to answer that question.”
Of course, there are many famous prequels, including Rogue One And Annabelle: Creation which better flesh out other games in their franchises, but Hargrave knew that Extract 2 in prequel form, it won’t be as successful. While a dive into Reik’s past would have been an informative place to better understand the character, the original feature already painted a clear picture of why Reik became the selfless but traumatized and guilt-ridden fighter we’ve come to know him to be. As Hargrave put it, “If we go back, now you’re paraphrasing similar things from his past, right? It’s hard to get more emotional stress and higher stakes than your son dying of cancer or leukemia, right?” Noting that telling his story after his near-death experience would be “stronger”, the creative team decided to give Reik another chance to save the day by continuing to weave his past into the mix.
What Extract 2 ABOUT?
Hemsworth returns as Tyler Rake in a follow-up film set after the events of the first feature. Returning to his calling as a covert ops mercenary, Reik immediately returns to work on yet another life-threatening mission. This time around, he’ll be rescuing the entire family of a Georgian gangster from the prison where they’re being held, a scene that already promises to triple the action of the previous film.
Extract 2 Coming to Netflix June 16th. Watch the movie trailer below:
Source: Collider
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