According to star and executive producer Charlize Theron, a sequel toThe Old Guardis ready to start production next year. The original Netflix comic book adaptation was one of the streamers big hits during the pandemic, with many people having nothing better to do that watch a lot of TV they otherwise would not have had time to get around to.The Old Guardwas one of two recent adaptations of graphic novels written by Greg Rucka, with the other being ABC’sStumptown. While she didn’t go into too much detail, Theron did confirm that the script was done and ready to go.
“Somehow it was meant to come out in [2020],“Charlize Theronsaid after the movie’s release. “And it was meant to just be on people’s TVs. In the end, that’s why I think it was so successful. It thematically speaks to things that people were going through. And so part of me is like, ‘So what if it wasn’t on a big screen?’ I’m not mad at the fact that probably more people sawThe Old Guardthan any other movie that I’ve ever made, outside ofFast & Furious, in a theater.”
Starring Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Harry Melling, Van Veronica Ngo, and Chiwetel Ejiofor,The Old Guardfollows a team of immortal mercenaries on a revenge mission. While taking on a mission, the team find their identities exposed and much fight to keep their anonymity while taking in a new recruit. The movie was generally praised by critics for delivering some high octane action sequences, with Rotten Tomatoes consensus reading, “The Old Guardis occasionally restricted by genre conventions, but director Gina Prince-Bythewood brings a sophisticated vision to the superhero genre - and some knockout action sequences led by Charlize Theron.”
Withthe movie being reportedly watched by 78 million users over the first month of its release, it landed in the top ten most successful original movie launches of the streamer’s history, so it was likely thatThe Old Guard 2would be in the works sooner rather than later. The graphic novel on which the film was based had its own sequel published in 2019 called TheOld Guard: Force Multiplied.
The movie’s star,Charlize Theron, had already contemplated a sequel, soon after release of the Netflix hit, as have others involved with the original. Speaking last year, Rucka said of a sequel, “Yeah, certainly. I have been discussions, nothing is confirmed, and I don’t think there will be a decision made as to whether or not another one is in the offering for a while yet. The decision to make another one is going to be made by people who are far outside of my lane. If they decide to do another one, I am absolutely there for it.”
Out of the many recent new arrivals on Netflix,The Old Guardwas an unlikely candidate for a sequel before its premiere. Based on a lesser known graphic novel, even with someone like Theron in the lead, there was a chance that the movie could have fallen on a middle ground and disappeared into the plethora of options available for those just looking for something to pass the time. Instead, theThe Old Guard has become a top title for the scrappy streamer. Whether helped along by the pandemic lock-down or simply a hit on its own merits, we will see whether the success ofThe Old Guardcan continue in the sequel when it finally arrives. This story arrives courtesy ofVariety.
