Naman Shrestha
A sequel to Sam Hargrave’s eponymous 2020 feature directorial debut, ‘Extraction 2’ is an action thriller film that features the return of the fearless mercenary Tyler Rake as he embarks upon another covert operation. After being presumed dead for nine months following the deadly events of the rescue mission in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Rake is aimed to rescue the family of a Georgian gangster from a prison. With the stakes sky high, Tyler and his team members are determined to pull out all stops to ensure they emerge victorious in their task with their minds and bodies intact.
The gripping film is based on the graphic novel ‘Ciudad’ by Ande Parks, Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Fernando León González, and Eric Skillman. With Chris Hemsworth, Golshifteh Farahani, and Adam Bessa reprising their roles in the follow-up, ‘Extraction 2’ is also driven by the compelling performances of Olga Kurylenko, Daniel Bernhardt, Tinatin Dalakishvili, and others. It features Tyler fighting hoards of armed men on a moving train, hanging off towers, crashing through glass windows, and bombing elevators as the setting jumps from a snow-clad region to a gritty prison compound. In case you’re wondering where was ‘Extraction 2’ shot, we’ve got you covered!
Extraction 2 Filming Locations
‘Extraction 2’ was filmed extensively in the Czech Republic, specifically in and around the city of Prague. A portion of the film was also shot in the city of Vienna in Austria. Though the action film was set to begin shooting in Sydney, Australia, in September 2021, the plans got derailed due to the emergence of COVID-19 and its significant impact on the world.
Therefore, the production team decided to move the primary filming location from Australia to the Czech Republic. Filming ultimately began in late November 2021 and concluded in April 2022, with additional shooting on the film taking place in November 2022. Now, let’s go through all the specific locations where Tyler executes his lethal mission!
Prague, the Czech Republic
A significant portion of ‘Extraction 2’ was lensed in and around Prague, which is not only the capital of the Czech Republic but also a political, cultural, and economic hub of central Europe. While the production team utilized several neighborhoods and streets within the city, they also shot a few key scenes in the rural locales just outside of the capital as well.
The scene where Chris Hemsworth’s character is on fire while fighting off a bunch of prisoners is something that was reportedly done without CG fire. Hemsworth got in the way of fire several times to perfect the entire sequence, which makes it all the more iconic as there are hardly any Hollywood A-listers who would go to that length for a movie scene. But some sleight of hand was required to achieve this seemingly impossible 21-minute shot that includes stuntwork and action sequences.
In a May 2023 issue of Empire Magazine, as reported by Collider, Sam Hargrave opened up about the challenges they faced and the techniques they employed to film the high-octane action sequences in the film. Talking specifically about the tweaks they had to inculcate to generate the “21-minute shot” they had promised, he explained, “We build in certain stitch points where we could.”
The seasoned stuntman and director added, “But in those broken-up pieces you still have sequences that will be between 30 seconds and a minute-and-a-half. Sometimes there are 50, 60. 75 moves in a row with dozens of stunt performers. And it was at night, in the middle of winter. Chris had red ears and a red nose because he was freezing.”
In a June 2023 exclusive interview with Bollywood Bubble, Chris Hemsworth talked about his experience of the shooting process. Since he did not lean on a stunt double for most of the scenes, he came in with a few injuries, just like after playing a game of football but almost every day for four straight months. He said that shooting action sequences in colder climates was a challenge for him.
He added, “It was unlike (first part) because when we shot the first film it was in the warmer climates. This was when we were shooting in Prague it was winter, and it was freezing. So the tendency to lock up and have joints and ligaments sort of wreak havoc was a little more prominent this time.”
Vienna, Austria
For shooting purposes, the filming unit of ‘Extraction 2’ also traveled to the capital of Austria, that is, Vienna. In particular, DC Tower and the surrounding areas, including Donau City and Meliá Vienna, served as prominent production locations for a couple of weeks in February 2022. Whether it is the helicopter fighting sequences or the chase sequences and other stunts, many of them were recorded on location around the DC Tower. Besides that, the cast and crew members were also spotted taping some important portions of the movie in and around Carl-Auböck-Promenade and Isidro-Fabela-Promenade.
Read More: Netflix’s Extraction Ending, Explained
