While 2020 was a rough year for the film industry, especially with theaters being closed down, there were thankfully plenty of cinematic offerings to enjoy on streaming. Among the most popular movies in that category was Netflix’s The Old Guard, which starred Charlize Theron as the leader of a group of immortal mercenaries. In January, it was reported that The Old Guard 2 is moving forward, and Theron has now revealed when the sequel will start filming.
Speaking with Variety, Charlize Theron, who also executive produced The Old Guard, said that The Old Guard 2 script is finished and the plan is for production in the first quarter of 2022. Theron also confirmed that Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli will reprise their respective roles of Joe and Nicky, saying:
Oh, yeah! They’re definitely there.
The Old Guard premiered on Netflix on July 10, 2020, and while there was no official word at the time if the action movie would score a sequel, director Gina Prince-Bythewood acknowledged that it was a possibility. By the following month, Greg Rucka, who wrote both the original Old Guard graphic novel and its film adaptation, mentioned that there’d been discussions about moving forward with The Old Guard 2, and Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s Co-Chief Executive and Chief Content Officer, said that turning Old Guard into a franchise was being explored even before the first movie came out.
Thanks to Charlize Theron, we know that The Old Guard 2 has been fully written and is a little over a half a year away from kicking off principal photography. Of course, The Old Guard certainly laid the groundwork for a new adventure; not only did Theron’s Andy, Nicky, Joe and KiKi Layne’s Nile Freeman agree to work with Chiwetel Ejiofor’s James Copley to embark on missions where they can help humanity, Matthias Schoenaerts’ Booker, who had been exiled from the group for 100 years, was found by Van Veronica Ngo’s Quynh, who was thought to still be drowning in an iron maiden.
Where the Old Guard saga goes from here is anyone’s guess, but considering that the first movie was initially reported to have been on track to be watched by 72 millions households in its first month (it actually ended up being 78 million), it’s no wonder the streaming service’s brass decided to greenlight a sequel. And while it remains to be seen when The Old Guard 2 will specifically begin shooting, it’s a good bet that casting information will start trickling in before 2021 is over.
As we wait for more news about The Old Guard 2’s progress, don’t forget to look through our July 2021 Netflix guide to learn what the streaming service is delivering over the next month. Those of you looking to get your Charlize Theron fix now can see her reprising Cipher in F9.
