By Travis Johnson
Extinction, the second film from Australian director Ben Young (Hounds of Love) was supposed to get a theatrical release last month, but Universal quietly removed it from their schedule before Christmas. And we mean quietly – so far we haven’t even seen a single image from the film, let alone a trailer.
Now Variety is reporting that Netflix has acquired the project, and will release it globally later in 2018.
This seems to be a go-to move for Netflix of late – acquiring mid-budget genre films that are predicted to struggle in the Disney-dominated theatrical space and giving them a prestige home audience. See also: Annihilation (which looks pretty good), The Cloverfield Paradox (not so much). Given Young’s chops, we’re betting Extinction is firmly in the former camp.
Plot details for Extinction are scant at this juncture: “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. Michael Pena Lizzy Caplan, Mike Colter, Lilly Aspell, Emma Booth, Israel Broussard, and Lex Shrapnel star.
Hopefully we’ll be getting a trailer soon.
