The Netflix Sci-Fi Action Romp That Everyone Wants To See Get A Sequel
If you are looking for the next new franchise to get into, then The Old Guard, which can be streamed on Netflix, comes with strong recommendation. With an upcoming sequel in the works, you have plenty of time to watch the Charlize Theron starring film, and hopefully you’ll have a long enough cool-down period before the sequel premieres.
Charlize Theron takes on the lead role of Andromache “Andy” of Scythia, who is an immortal, centuries-old warrior turned mercenary.
The Old Guard is chock full of hand-to-hand combat scenes, and there is enough gun play to quell your hunger for expertly crafted action choreography in this Gina Prince-Bythewood-directed action superhero film.
Based on the Greg Rucka-created comic book of the same name, Netflix’s The Old Guard boasts the tagline, “forever is harder than it looks.” Charlize Theron takes on the lead role of Andromache “Andy” of Scythia, who is an immortal, centuries-old warrior turned mercenary. What makes Andy, and her team, consisting of Booker, Joe, and Nickie so unique is their innate ability to never die because of their regenerative healing abilities.
In other words, we see the protagonists in The Old Guard get killed several times, only to bounce back unscathed and start throwing hands.
Andy’s team operates under one golden rule in this Netflix film, which is to never work for the same client twice. But the primary source of tension in The Old Guard is that they make a concession to a client who is a former CIA operative named James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor), and embark on a search and rescue mission that they find necessary to take on.
Charlize Theron’s commitment to performing her own stunts, and even working through scenes despite sustaining a number of on-set injuries while making this Netflix movie has led fans of the actress to compare her to Keanu Reeves.
As it turns out, the mission was a ruse, and Copley wanted to see them get killed so he could film their regeneration and report his findings to a pharmaceutical executive.
As The Old Guard progresses, Andy gets wounded, and realizes that she isn’t healing, which does not bode well in this Netflix movie. Though it may seem like the mercenaries are immortal, this isn’t necessarily the case. It’s revealed that at some point in time their regenerative healing capabilities will stop, and without warning.
What’s most impressive about The Old Guard is Charlize Theron‘s devotion to the role. In fact, Charlize Theron’s commitment to performing her own stunts, and even working through scenes despite sustaining a number of on-set injuries while making this Netflix movie has led fans of the Atomic Blonde actress to compare her to Keanu Reeves.
Ironically enough, when Theron was training for her role in Atomic Blonde, which came out just a few years earlier than The Old Guard, she actually trained alongside Reeves while he was preparing for one of his John Wick films.
On the critical front, The Old Guard currently has an 80 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes. But what’s more impressive is the streaming numbers that it pulled in. According to the data, 78 million households watched The Old Guard within the first four weeks of its Netflix premiere, making it one of the top 10 most successful Netflix originals at the time of its release.
Critics praised The Old Guard for its breathtaking action sequences and authentic fight choreography, which could be largely attributed to Charlize Theron’s extensive training behind the scenes. And given the popularity of the Netflix film, critics have picked up on the fact that this comic book adaptation is destined to be franchised out. And it didn’t take long for talks of a sequel to materialize.
78 million households watched The Old Guard within the first four weeks of its Netflix premiere, making it one of the top 10 most successful Netflix originals at the time of its release.
The Old Guard 2 will serve as a direct sequel, and filming has been completed for almost a year at this point in time. Though most of the cast was signed on to reprise their roles from the first film, director Gina Prince-Bythewood was replaced with Victoria Mahoney for the sequel. In addition to the all-star lineup, Uma Thurman and Henry Golding also signed on for undisclosed roles in this upcoming Netflix movie.
At the time of this writing, we can expect a late fall or early winter premiere of The Old Guard 2 on Netflix. But some reports have suggested that the release date might be pushed back to sometime in early 2024. No matter the date of its premiere, it goes without saying that this is the franchise we’ve been waiting for, and it will subvert your expectations of what a superhero movie can accomplish in its storytelling.
