Alien invasion thriller ‘Extinction’ has become the latest film to get bumped from a theatrical release to go directly to Netflix. The film was produced by Universal but was abruptly taken off its release schedule in November of last year, despite it being essentially complete and due for release in January. ‘Extinction’ was directed by relative newcomer Ben Young, who has only directed one other movie, a crime drama entitled ‘Hounds of Love’. ‘Extinction’ also stars two recognizable faces who are not huge box office draws, Michael Peña (‘Ant-Man’) and Lizzy Caplan (‘Now You See Me 2’). So this combination seems to hint that perhaps Universal wasn’t particularly optimistic about this movie’s box office potential.
Here is the synopsis for ‘Extinction’:
A father has a recurring dream of losing his family. His nightmare turns into reality when
the planet is invaded by a force bent on destruction. Fighting for their lives, he comes to
realize an unknown strength to keep them safe from harm.
Young expressed his enthusiasm for the project, saying “It’s like nothing I’d ever read before. It’s about a guy trying to redeem himself within his family in the midst of an alien invasion.”
‘Extinction’ is the latest would-be cinematic release that Netflix has acquired from a studio. The streaming service made a very splashy Super Bowl announcement that they were offering ‘The Cloverfield Paradox’ following the big game. That also follows Alex Garland’s ‘Annihilation’, although that movie will get a limited theatrical release in the U.S., Canada and China. And of course, Netflix invested a feature film budget into the David Ayer-helmed fantasy action flick ‘Bright’ starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton, its most expensive original production yet.
‘Extinction’ also stars Mike Colter, Lilly Aspell, Emma Booth, Israel Broussard, Lex Shrapnel, Erica Tremblay, Amelia Crouch and Nikola Kent.
Netflix didn’t release a due date for ‘Extinction’ beyond “later this year.”
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
