After what feels like an eternity of waiting, the sequel to one of the biggest action movies on Netflix finally has a release date.
The Old Guard first premiered in 2020, with Charlize Theron leading the cast as Andy, the leader of a group of immortal mercenaries who have been protecting the world for centuries – Kiki Layne, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli also starred.
A sequel to the blockbuster was confirmed in August, 2021, and it was filmed the following year – but since then, no details have been shared about when the gang will return to our screens, or what their next mission will be.
It has now been confirmed that the Old Guard 2 will be released on July 2, with Kiki, Chiwetel, Luca, Marwan and Matthias Schoenaerts and Van Veronica Ngo will be reprising their roles beside Charlize.
Uma Thurman and Henry Golding are among the newcomers to the star-studded cast.
Victoria Mahoney is stepping in as director while Gina Prince-Bythewood, who helmed the original, will be staying on as a producer.
Although little else is known about the plot, the official synopsis reads: ‘Andy and her team of immortal warriors return to protect humanity from a formidable new enemy who threatens their existence.’
The Old Guard was based on Greg Rucka’s graphic novel of the same name and, speaking to Metro and other press at the time of release, Gina teased that there could be more sequels in the future.
‘In terms of if the story continues, it’s absolutely up to an audience. I know that Greg Rucka has always envisioned his story, when it was a graphic novel, as a trilogy,’ she said at the time.
‘Actually the second part of his comic book just came out, so I know where the story goes, and it’s pretty great. So if an audience wants it, there’s absolutely more story to tell.’
Teasing what we could see in the follow-up, the Love & Basketball director suggested that there could be a focus on Joe (Marwan) and Nicky’s (Luca) backstory and how they met in a possible sequel – as it was scrapped from the original cut.
‘There was no major thing I had to cut out,’ she continued. ‘But in the script stage, and it’s in the graphic novel I have to say, how Joe and Nicky met….
‘We talked about it in the film but in the graphic novel you actually see it. It was in one of Greg’s earlier drafts and we just… The film was feeling so full that we had to cut it.
‘It’s pretty great. So I hope that if there is a sequel, that that gets to be illustrated.’
Sharing his hopes for the sequel, Chiwetel said that he wanted to get the story back to warmer climates, as the Old Guard was filmed in Morocco and the UK.
’I went to Morocco, I loved Morocco. I suppose it was all nice. London’s great, Shepperton’s fantastic. I don’t know, I’ll send them a little list of places we should go to next. I think that’s a good idea,’ he said.
‘The West Indies, I wouldn’t mind going out there immediately. I think the tapestry is so rich in terms of, you can go anywhere at any time, and you can explore any period.
‘So I think it’d be really great to knuckle down in some areas in warm countries that we could go.’
Unfortunately for Chiwetel, Marwan had a completely different vibe in mind, adding: ‘I would say, Iceland, Japan, maybe… That would be amazing.
‘There’s so many beautiful, beautiful places on earth so I would be grateful and happy to be on it. But the first thing that pops into my mind would be Iceland.’
This article was first published on July 20, 2020.
The Old Guard is available to stream on Netflix now.
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