Netflix’s The Old Guard was a huge hit last month. It effortlessly threw an axe at other titles on the streaming service and is currently on track to be among the top ten most viewed original Netflix films in the company of Extraction and Bird Box. A sequel has yet to be greenlit by the studio officially, but discussions about the Netflix film at the company’s earnings call shows the continuation of The Old Guard is already on the minds of the studio.
When Netflix held its Quarter 2 earnings conference call, and The Old Guard came up, Co-Chief Executive and Chief Content Officer at Netflix Ted Sarandos said the following:
Yes. Look, I think franchise is the active, successfully -- successful world-building. And video games obviously have a world-building aspect to them, but so do books and so do graphic novels and so do comic books and so does original IP. And really, this is a matter of how well it's executed. We were really unbelievably encouraged by the first attempt at it here with The Old Guard, which is kind of a new flavor of that kind of storytelling that I think has got a world and stories to be told for some time to come.
There you have it. The Old Guard opening a “world of stories” doesn’t make it sound like a one-off at all. If you’ve seen the action film starring Charlize Theron, you know the ending of the film clearly opens the door for more from these modern-day immortals. Ted Sarandos doesn’t come out and confirm The Old Guard 2 with these words, but there was certainly interest in moving the property forward before it was released to the public and started setting records.
The Old Guard is based on a graphic novel by Greg Rucka, who already has a planned trilogy in the works for the concept. The second novel in the series, titled Force Multiplied, is already set for a release on September 22. When the author (and screenwriter for the movie) was asked about plans for an Old Guard sequel at Netflix, he said this:
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.
It seems like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? Netflix is seeing the returns shortly after its popularity and he author is on board. Oh, and director Gina Prince-Bythewood told CinemaBlend about her interest too. Fans of the film should feel confident that The Old Guard will likely return at some point, but not quite yet. The stall to announce the sequel could have something to do with Prince-Bythewood being tied up with a new project with Viola Davis or any of the cast’s busy schedules. It’s not exactly the best time for productions to begin either.
It's definitely exciting to see Netflix pursue original content both derived from comic books and within the action genre. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more news about what’s coming next for The Old Guard.
