The last update on The Old Guard 2 was the realization that Netflix doesn't appear to be moving forward with plans to release the sequel in 2024, despite the fact the filming wrapped on the project over a year ago.
When the streamer released a sizzle reel highlighting all of the new shows and movies hitting the platform in 2024, footage from The Old Guard 2 was conspicuously absent.
In a recent interview with Variety, the film's star, Charlize Theron, revealed that Netflix halted post-production work on the sequel but she's confident that the film will eventually be released.
Said Theron, "Netflix went through quite a changeover. We got kind of stuck in that and our post-production shut down, I think, five weeks into it. They were going through a lot of changes, and I totally understand it. We finally picked it back up and I’m really excited about it. It’s really good. It’s a really important film to us. I only wanted to do it if we could make it amazing. I really love this movie."
Based on a 2017 comic with the same name from Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández, The Old Guard was released in 2020 and was a surprise hit for Netflix. At the time of its release, it ranked among the top 10 most successful original launches in the platform's history.
It also received positive reviews from film critics, with an 80% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an average aggregate score of 3.7 out of 5.
For the sequel, Uma Thurman and Henry Golding joined the cast in undisclosed roles, while Victoria Mahoney replaced Gina Prince-Bythewood as director. Greg Rucka wrote the script for the first film and the sequel.
Returning cast members include Theron as Andromache of Scythia, KiKi Layne as Nile Freeman, Marwan Kenzari as Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Luca Marinelli as Nicky/Nicolò di Genova, Matthias Schoenaerts as Booker / Sebastian Le Livre, Ngô Thanh Vân as Quynh and Chiwetel Ejiofor as James Copley.
The Old Guard Synopsis:
Led by a warrior named Andy (Charlize Theron), a covert group of tight-knit mercenaries with a mysterious inability to die have fought to protect the mortal world for centuries. But when the team is recruited to take on an emergency mission and their extraordinary abilities are suddenly exposed, it’s up to Andy and Nile (KiKi Layne), the newest soldier to join their ranks, to help the group eliminate the threat of those who seek to replicate and monetize their power by any means necessary. Based on the acclaimed graphic novel by Greg Rucka and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (LOVE & BASKETBALL, BEYOND THE LIGHTS), THE OLD GUARD is a gritty, grounded, action-packed story that shows living forever is harder than it looks.