Netflix's 'Extinction': Director Ben Young explores 'fear of the unknown' in upcoming alien invasion flick
This Friday marks the global premiere of Netflix's latest sci-fi horror film 'Extinction'. Starring Lizzy Caplan and Michael Peña in lead roles, 'Extinction' tells the story of a father (Peña) who 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. 'Luke Cage’s' Mike Colter, Emma Booth, Lilly Aspell, Israel Broussard, and Lex Shrapnel take on supporting roles. The screenplay is penned by Spenser Cohen, with assistance from Brad Kane and Eric Heisserer ('Arrival').
In the director's seat for the film is Australian director Ben Young ('Hounds of Love', 'Something Fishy'), who I had the chance to interview ahead of the film's premiere. Although Young was brought on to the project in 2016, 'Extinction' was conceptualized as early as 2013, when Cohen's script was included in the 2013 Black List, the year’s best unproduced scripts in Hollywood. According to early reports, the film was to be directed by CGI veteran Joe Johnston ('Honey I Shrunk The Kids', 'Jumanji') who later quit the project, paving the way for Ben. When I asked Ben about the pressure of filling in the shoes of such a big name, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that he had no idea about the whole affair.
