The Old Guardis one of the best-received Netflix original films of recent memory. It’s got a huge name in the starring role, some up-and-coming talent in the cast, a solid premise, and some surprisingly outstanding superhero action. So, as soon as the film dropped, fans started wondering when they’d get to see the immortals again.
Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and written by Greg Rucka from a comic book he wrote in 2017,The Old Guardwas considereda breath of fresh airin an overpopulated genre. There’s a lot of Rucka’s work left and a few weighty cliffhangers for a sequel to play with.
RELATED:An Old Guard Sequel Is On The Way Says Charlize Theron
The rights to make a movie out of Greg Rucka’sThe Old Guardseries were snapped up almost immediately after the graphic novel hit shelves.Skydance Media set towork on the project with Rucka undertaking the task of turning his comic into a screenplay. Director Prince-Blythewood was an outside-the-box pick at the time. Most of her career was in the romantic drama genre, withThe Secret Life of BeesandBeyond the Lightsamong her best-known projects at the time. She was tapped to direct the unproduced Sony Spider-Man spin-offSilver & Black, which she left in favor ofThe Old Guard.When Charlize Theron joinedas star and producer, the project gained a much higher profile, leading to its substantial public cache.
Greg Rucka wroteThe Old Guard: Force Multipliedin 2019, during the production of the film. He’s been very clear that he’s open to a sequel to the film. The coda provided at the end of the credits was considered something of an easy segue into a theoreticalOld Guard 2. Theron stated that she and the rest of the cast were excited to reenter the film’s universe, but that it shouldn’t start right away. Netflix signed the paperwork and set the project in motion in early 2021. The cast is returning with almost no exceptions. If a major character survived the film, they’ll evidently be back. Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Veronica Ngo, and Chiwetel Ejiofor have all signed on for a second round. That’s all five members of the eponymous team of immortal mercenaries, their dearly departed ally Quynh, and dedicated historian Copley, all back for the sequel. Unfortunately,not every key partof the original film is returning.
Prince-Blythewood will not be back to directThe Old Guard 2. No word has come out regarding why the director won’t be returning, but one of the earliest announcements aboutthe film from Netflixwas the name of the new director. Victoria Mahoney is taking over for the sequel. Mahoney has only directed one feature film,Yelling to the Sky, a well-received drama starring Zoë Kravitz. She’s directed individual episodes of shows likeGrey’s Anatomy, Power, Claws, You, I am the Night,andLovecraft County. In her biggest credit, she served as the second-unit director onStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, making her the first woman to direct a Star Wars project, even on a second-unit team. Like Prince-Blythewood, she’s a strange choice forThe Old Guardfranchise, but, perhaps that level of risk will pay off a second time. Regardless of Mahoney’s merits, it’s a shame to see the film made without Prince-Blythewood’s unique talents.
Almost nothing is known about the plot ofThe Old Guard 2.Kill Billstar Uma Thurman joined the cast in an undisclosed role. As didSnake Eyesstar Henry Golding.Their roles are unclear, but there are several characters from the graphic novel that they could occupy. It’s fair to assume that the sequel will follow the surprise cliffhanger at the end of the first film. The movie ends with Booker having been cut from the team, leaving him drunk and depressed in Paris. When his former teammate Quynh suddenly appears, he’s left shocked. There are countless ways to take that concept. The film will explore Andy’s newfound mortality after generations spent as an undying warrior.
As of now, production onThe Old Guard 2is well underway, despite a substantial setback. This August, a sudden andunexplained fire at the Cinecittà Studiosfilm lot in Rome delayed the film’s production. The film is still going strong and no one was injured by the blaze. Netflix’sTudumevent revealed basically nothing about the sequel but did feature the cast speaking highly of its quality. The studio, stars, and crew are keeping everything under wraps. Fans are excited to see their favorite team of immortals head back out into the field.
There’s still a lot fans can’t know aboutThe Old Guard 2. Rest assured, the stellar viewer ratings and the outstanding reception was enough to get a sequel greenlit. One of Netflix’s best films is coming back to the service, but fans will have to wait and see how the immortal warriors have changed.
