Anna Daniels
It turns out Extraction is serving as a mini-reunion of sorts for the team that delivered 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. The new film was actually inspired by a graphic novel from Infinity War and Endgame co-director Joe Russo, and was adapted for the big screen by the man, himself. Not surprisingly, Russo enlisted the help of his brother, collaborator, and MCU teammate, Anthony, to bring Extraction to Netflix.
The Extraction MCU connections don’t stop at Thor and the Russo Brothers, though, because the Netflix venture also marks the directorial debut of Sam Hargrave. Even if you don’t know that name, you know his work, because he’s been a key behind-the-scenes contributor on several MCU projects over the years.
Prior to claiming the director’s chair on Extraction, Hargrave has primarily served as a stuntman and stunt coordinator. Hargrave claimed his first MCU gig back in 2012, when he served as stunt double for Chris Evans’ Captain America in Marvel’s groundbreaking crossover event, The Avengers. More MCU work followed when Hargrave played stunt double for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star Brett Dalton in the series’ pilot episode. In 2014, Hargrave hooked up with the Russos when he again doubled for Evans in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, then stepped up as stunt coordinator for the rest of the brothers’ Marvel work in Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Endgame.
The Russos clearly saw something in Hargrave’s MCU work and his extensive short film oeuvre, as evinced when they hired him as a first-time feature director for a big-budget film like Extraction. While Hargrave’s future as a director will be something we’ll have to watch to see if it develops, we can at least take heart knowing the action scenes in Extraction will no doubt provide some serious spectacle.
Written by: Looper
