The Old Guard 2: Sequel To Begin Filming For Netflix In 2022
Here's what we know about Netflix's plans for The Old Guard 2.
This article is more than 2 years old
The Old Guard is one of Netflix’s hits of the 2020 summer. It capitalized on big-budget action film for the small screen that didn’t have to compete with summer popcorn flicks on the big screen. It took a while to confirm that a sequel would happen, but fortunately, the Charlize Theron movie did do well enough to justify making The Old Guard 2. Here’s what we know about Netflix’s sequel plans.
Netflix Success
Based on the graphic novel of the same name, The Old Guard stars Charlize Theron as Andromache of Scythia, an ancient immortal leading a small group of other unkillables as they onboard a new recruit. This is all while avoiding getting wrapped up in a big pharma play for their mysterious and presumably invaluable DNA. It’s a fast-paced, heavy action film with a high body count that also has plenty of heart around the issues surrounding what happens when you can effectively live forever.
The Old Guard was the website’s top streaming option, marking something as close as we got to a blockbuster during the 2020 summer season considering the theaters had gone kaput in the pandemic crisis. One has to feel that Netflix’s $70 million budget for the film was realized through its overall popularity and positive reception.
Audiences Are Primed For Old Guard 2
And at the risk of getting spoiler-filled here, let’s just say that The Old Guard is primed for The Old Guard 2 or even multiple movies around these characters. The movie wraps succinctly enough, but a pre-credits scene leaves the door wide open for multiple movies. Considering the Old Guard is a Mission Impossible-styled group with a particular set of skills, mostly centered on killing bad guys en masse and able to take tons of damage, this could be a franchise we see for quite some time.
So sure, nearly as soon as the movie hit screens, it was right to start thinking about The Old Guard 2. For starters, it’s a fantastic (and rare) move for the comic book creator (in this case Greg Rucka) to also pen the full script. But that’s the case with The Old Guard with Rucka handling those duties and any screenplays going forward. It means there’s a full grasp of the material with, presumably, a very clear vision around the characters and story arcs.
The Plot Of Old Guard 2
Charlize Theron has already been talking about what she wants Old Guard 2 to be about. On Late Night she had this to say…
“Yeah with another female character which I’m really excited about. The character of Quynh is kind of teased in this. She’s Andy’s kind of right hand person. She was, the two of them, were the first. There’s obviously a relationship there that we didn’t really explore in this film. So, I’m excited if we get the chance to make another one, to explore that, because then we’re just adding another female into the mix, which I think will make it really interesting.“
In an interview (big spoiler alerts on this link), Rucka says as much about his intentions to move the franchise forward towards The Old Guard 2. Again, since the final scenes set it up quite perfectly with the intention of further world-building around these characters and their histories while also possibly adding a new antagonist to the mix. He even says about the final moments of the film, “In case of sequel, break glass…” But it’s worth noting in that same interview he’s also honest about having no real word about plans for a sequel coming from Netflix.
But here’s where having the creator on board for the movie is helpful is in that understanding of the overall arcs and how they can line up with the comics. Rucka and co-creator Leandro Fernandez sectioned the comics to play out like a trilogy in movie form. The Old Guard movie covers the first five issues of the graphic novel and The Old Guard 2 could pick up where those left off with the second edition, The Old Guard: Force Multiplied.
Early Plans For The Sequel
Considering these factors, we’d have been surprised (or even completely shocked) to not get at least a sequel to The Old Guard with the more likely outcome a series of movies around these characters. But that doesn’t mean everyone will be coming back for round two.
Writer Greg Bucca confirmed early on that talks were underway with Netflix regarding making Old Guard 2. He says, “Yeah, certainly. There 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.”
Director Gina Prince-Blythewood expressed at least a little hesitation about a return to the big chair for The Old Guard 2 in an interview with Collider. So a sequel could see at least a new vision even if the other main players were back for more.
When To Expect The Old Guard 2
Netflix isn’t a fan of giving their audiences concrete release dates when they don’t have to. However, in late June 2021, Charlize Theron took pity on fans and told Variety that a script for The Old Guard 2 is done. Moreover, filming is expected to begin in early 2022. This could mean as soon as late 2022 for a release date, but sometime in 2023 is most likely. We will update this space when more news becomes available.
