Netflix‘s summer of action will kick into high gear soon with the release of the much-anticipated Extraction 2 starring Chris Hemsworth. Once the film is available to stream and promotion is done, however, director Sam Hargrave already has plans for his next project. During an interview with Collider‘s Steve Weintraub, he discussed how he’ll be swapping streamers to Apple TV+ to direct the pilot of The Last Frontier from starry creative duo Jon Bokenkamp and Richard D’Ovidio.
Revealed earlier this year, the series stars Jason Clarke as U.S. Marshal Frank Remnick whose jurisdiction in the rugged barrens of Alaska is thrown for a loop when a prison transport plane crashes in the wilderness. Aboard the flight was a slew of violent inmates whom the marshal now has to protect his quiet from. The investigation into the crash quickly reveals, however, that the crash was no accident but the beginning of an elaborate plan with major international political ramifications. Hargrave was excited to be a part of the project, confirming his involvement and revealing what his duties are beyond the pilot and when he begins filming:
“Yes, I’m doing a TV show for Apple at the end of the year up in Canada called The Last Frontier. Jon Bokenkamp wrote it and is showrunning it, and I’m gonna direct the pilot and the second and third episode, and then executive produce for the series. It’s just a really great story with a great script.”
Hargrave Takes a Challenging New Trek Into Television With The Last Frontier
The Last Frontier is relatively new ground for Hargrave who hasn’t really delved into television. Although he’s done stunt work for the occasional series and recently acted in both MacGyver and Queen of the South, his directing experience is entirely limited to the big screen and all the incredible possibilities that come with it. With Clarke, Bokenkamp, and D’Ovidio on board and an exciting story, he’s more than ready for the challenge. “Yes, Jason Clarke starring as the lead. It’s a pretty fun story, just propulsive and thrilling,” he added. “I think it’s gonna be a fun challenge because I haven’t really done anything in the TV space, and I love the idea of long-form storytelling and setting up this world that then other people can come in and riff on, and hopefully improve, and hopefully the series goes on and on and on.”
The fun of creating a constantly-evolving long-form story also comes with the challenge of bringing the action to the small screen that feels as big as the movies. Hargrave is operating under the reality that he simply can’t treat The Last Frontier like Extraction 2 with wild high-budget stunts galore and will instead have to adapt his style to the new medium. Even with the limited budget compared to what he’s used to, he’s still promising a wild opening that’ll make the most of what he has:
“I know what you’re talking about because you’re talking about reality here. There’s usually less time and less money crafting a TV show than there is a feature. The time we’re gonna have to do the pilot episode, which has a bunch of crazy stuff, is gonna be like a quarter of what we had for Extraction. So part of it is gonna be shifting my – not shifting styles because excellence is something that I want to strive for no matter what I’m doing, but I am gonna have to be present in the reality of there’s less time, less money. So you gotta figure out a way to do something exciting with less time and less money.”
Furthermore, Hargrave is openly embracing the ingenuity that’s bred within limitations. Some of the best action in recent years has stemmed from incredibly low budgets like the excellent and kinetic Hardcore Henry and Upgrade. “I think that’s an interesting challenge because, oftentimes, creativity comes from boundaries,” he added. “When you have anything and everything you need, sometimes your mind can just run too free, and it gets spread too thin sometimes. When it’s like, “Alright, you’re in a shoebox, figure something out,” and you go, “Well, alright,” and now your focus is so much sharper. So I think that’s gonna be a fun challenge, you know, who knows? We’ll see. I’m looking forward to it though. It’s a really exciting script and I’m really looking forward to diving into it.”
Knowing Apple TV+, however, The Last Frontier won’t be entirely strapped for cash. Between cinematic critical darlings like Severance and Silo, they’ve proven to be a curator of quality content and have garnered a reputation for supporting their creatives. While he hasn’t had the chance to get on set yet, Hargrave feels reassured knowing the company he’s working with.
“Yeah, I think it’s great. They’re very supportive, so I hear. Again, I have limited experience. I’ve been talking with the line producers and the producers over there, but we haven’t shot anything yet. But from what I hear from other folks is they’re very supportive of the artists.”
Extraction 2 premieres exclusively on Netflix on June 16. Collider is also offering the opportunity to win free tickets to a special screening at the Paris Theater in New York City on June 13 including a Q&A with Hargrave and Anthony Russo.
via Collider