Extraction 2 director on Idris Elba joining the sequel – and expanding the universe

Idris Elba in Extraction 2
(Image credit: Netflix)

Extraction 2 director Sam Hargrave has commented on the surprise arrival of Idris Elba in the Netflix sequel and what we can expect from his dynamic with Chris Hemsworth’s Tyler Rake.

Long kept under wraps, the streamer revealed earlier this month that Elba would be making a cameo appearance alongside a back-from-the-dead Rake. According to Netflix, Elba is set to play the Man in the Suit, a "mysterious figure" who offers Hemsworth’s rough-and-ready mercenary an "irresistible – and perhaps impossible – mission."

For Hargrave, the Luther actor’s appearance not only helps deepen the world of Extraction – but also brings out another side to its leading man.

"We were very interested in the potential of expanding the Extraction universe and also wanting to surround Tyler Rake with really charismatic and unique actors who challenge him in different ways," Hargrave explains to 12DOVE. "That character really does bring out a different side to Tyler Rake. He behaves differently in his presence compared to other characters’ presence."

"But that was just the character on paper," Hargrave says. "When you can embody that in someone as talented and charismatic as Idris Elba, then you've got a dynamite scenario. And putting those two on screen together, that chemistry is very palpable."

You can watch Chris Hemsworth and Idris Elba collide on-screen for the first time since Marvel’s Thor series in Extraction 2, which hits Netflix globally on June 16.

For more from the streamer, check out our guide to the best Netflix movies and best Netflix shows you should be watching right now.

Bradley Russell

I'm the Senior Entertainment Writer here at 12DOVE, focusing on news, features, and interviews with some of the biggest names in film and TV. On-site, you'll find me marveling at Marvel and providing analysis and room temperature takes on the newest films, Star Wars and, of course, anime. Outside of GR, I love getting lost in a good 100-hour JRPG, Warzone, and kicking back on the (virtual) field with Football Manager. My work has also been featured in OPM, FourFourTwo, and Game Revolution.

Read more
Chris Hemsworth in Extraction 2
There may be no more news on Extraction 3 yet, but the Russo Brothers universe is expanding with a new Netflix spin-off show
Gabriel Basso as Peter Sutherland in The Night Agent season 2
The Night Agent season 2 star teases the incredible action that they couldn't "get away with" on the first season of the Netflix show, which did lead to some on-set injuries
Cyberpunk 2077
Idris Elba wants him and Keanu Reeves to make a Cyberpunk 2077 movie a reality: "Let's speak that into existence"
Chris Pratt in The Electric State
6 years after Avengers: Endgame, Chris Pratt talks reuniting with the Russo brothers for new Netflix movie The Electric State: "I have much more responsibilities in this film than I had in the Avengers movies"
Tom Hardy in the Havoc teaser
Tom Hardy’s upcoming Netflix action movie from The Raid director gets its first ultra-violent teaser trailer
Millie Bobby Brown in The Electric State
The Russo brothers’ upcoming Netflix movie The Electric State includes a section that takes place before the graphic novel due to its "vague narrative"
Latest in Action Rpg
Monster Hunter Wilds trailer screenshot showing a young woman with long blonde hair tied back into a ponytail smiling slightly, pumping her left fist in the air
Monster Hunter Wilds' infamously confusing menus spare no player, not even Gemma's voice actor herself: "This is honestly what I’m struggling with the most"
Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds players are tricking the action RPG into thinking they completed hunt quests in mere seconds using the power of poison ammo
No Rest for the Wicked
Ori and the Blind Forest developer is now "fully independent" after "months of negotiation" with what remained of its gutted publisher
Monster Hunter Wilds
Monster Hunter Wilds dev says the game's success is thanks to an "emphasis on the story," but I think that's only a tiny aspect of it
A Monster Hunter Wilds character holding binoculars.
Despite Monster Hunter Wilds suffering monstrous performance problems on PC, it still outsold the PS5 and Xbox Series X versions in the US
Skyrim
It took Skyrim players nearly 15 years to discover ingenious loot hack that completely changes the game and, uh, requires you to desecrate a couple corpses
Latest in News
inZOI Character Studio screenshot showing a young woman with short black/pink hair, black cat-like ears, and a black blouse with a bowtie
The creator of upcoming life sim Inzoi says he was "recklessly brave to even think about creating a game of this scale"
Rise of the Ronin
A year after its PS5 launch, Rise of the Ronin debuts on PC to "Mixed" reviews and performance complaints: "Stuttering on a 4090 is just... no"
Rise of the Ronin's photo mode offers some wonderful shots
On the heels of Rise of the Ronin's PC launch, its director says there's a "significant" amount of Japanese Switch gamers: "I am closely watching how this will change with the release of Switch 2"
Stardew Valley Castle Village mod
Stardew Valley Expanded creator is building an "even more ambitious" mod with a whole new city and "dungeons inspired by The Legend of Zelda"
Dino Crisis 2 art showing a young woman and man back-to-back amid tall green grass, both with their weapons drawn
Dino Crisis gets a fresh trademark filing by Capcom, but it might not mean the 26-year-old survival horror franchise will get a new installment like fans expect
Cujo
Netflix is making a brand new adaptation of Cujo, the infamous Stephen King book about a killer dog