It’s rare that casting secrets can remain hidden in the age of social media – and so it’s good to know that, occasionally, we can still be surprised. Just days before its release, Chris Hemsworth has revealed that Idris Elba has joined him in his Netflix action sequel Extraction 2, and there’s an explodey, smashey, fighty new clip to accompany the news. Check it out below:
Yup, it’s a Thor/Heimdall reunion… except not quite, since in this instance the pair look to be, if not exactly antagonists, then certainly not on the best of terms. A quick blog post from Netflix hot on the heels of Hemsworth’s Twitter reveal tells us that Elba is playing ‘The Man in the Suit’. Er, thanks for that clarification, guys. From the brief look we get at Elba's character, we reckon 'The Man In The Very Fetching Scarf' may be more appropriate.
Extraction, if you’re unfamiliar, was the meat-and-potatoes 2020 Netflix actioner ferociously directed by Sam Hargrave and written by Joe Russo (adapted from the Russo Brothers’ multi-authored graphic novel Ciudad). Hemsworth is the gloriously named Tyler Rake (fun to say, as Elba points out in the clip): a mercenary who takes on military assignments in the most punishing, post-John Wick manner possible. First time out he was rescuing the son of a crime lord. In the sequel, the mission he chooses to accept is the unofficial release of a Georgian gangster’s family from prison. The stellar trailers released so far, plus our exclusive chat with returning director Hargrave in our current Secret Invasion issue, promise extraordinary stunt-heavy set-pieces, and a single-shot fight sequence that involved literally setting Hemsworth on fire. Strap in, folks.
Extraction 2 arrives on Netflix on 16 June.