Despite the current pandemic Netflix has managed to continue to release new content. One of the newest original films to be released on the platform is The Old Guard, which features acting from talent like Charlize Theron and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
The story about immortals was originally penned as a comic book and created by comic book veterans Greg Rucka (Batman, Wonder Woman) and Leandro Fernandez (Punisher MAX, Wolverine). To help support the new Netflix release we have set up exclusive interviews with both of them!
First off we're proud to present our chat with Greg Rucka, the writer and co-creator of The Old Guard comic book. Rucka also stepped up when it comes to the film adaptation as well, as he penned the screenplay.
Take a look at what Rucka had to say about both the comic and film versions of The Old Guard below and be sure to check out the podcast audio component at the bottom!
Joe: Hey Greg, thanks for speaking with me. I want to start by asking you what The Old Guard is in your words.
Greg Rucka: It's the story of a group of individuals who are all soldiers of a sort and who are essentially immortal. They don't know why and they don't know how, and they do know that they can die but they never know when.
When this story begins the youngest of them is over two hundred years old and the oldest is coming up on seven millennia. And it's the story of what happens when a new one shows up in the modern world. We call the comic a fairy tale of sorts.
Joe: Nice! Now I spoke to Leandro Fernandez prior to this, and I understand that the two of you worked together prior to The Old Guard. Was he your first choice of artist for The Old Guard?
Greg Rucka: Yep! Absolutely. He and I did comic arc way back in the day when he was starting out and we also did a run on Wolverine as well, so we've known each other for some twenty-odd years now. When this idea manifested, he was all for it.
Joe: I know you're on the writing team for the Netflix film. How does your writing differ for the comics rather than the movie?
Greg Rucka: Well, they're different animals. When writing for the comic, you're writing for one medium, and when you're writing a movie you're writing for a different medium. So that means storytelling techniques and tricks that you can execute on page aren't going to work in a movie.
For example, in the comic when Nile and Andy meet they take takes two pages to go from Afghanistan to Paris. It's a lovely double-page spread and you absolutely cannot do that in the movie. In the movie that takes about seven minutes of screentime.
Those seven minutes are some of my favorite moments of the movie. The two of them on the plane and it's a fantastic sequence because they acted the hell out of it and it's fun and it establishes so much so quickly, that's the primary difference.
There are other examples but that would be the one I go with. You can't really translate a comic to a movie or else you'll end up with a bad movie if you do that.
Joe: How did the movie adaptation come about? I understand you wrote the screenplay?
Greg Rucka: It was part of the deal. (Laughs) They said they really like it and want to make a movie and I said that I wanted to do the screenplay and that they could fire me if they didn't like it. So they said they were willing to give it a try.
Joe: You definitely have to fight for what you love, especially for something like that which is your baby. I'm sure that made a big difference in the final project.
Greg Rucka: Yeah, Joe. It's interesting because I've done many comics that have had adaptations before, and most of the time I don't get asked to write the adaptation. Stumptown does not need me, though I would be happy to write for them if they wanted me to.
Joe: Is there any interesting trivia you can share with us about The Old Guard as far as the film or the comic book goes?
Greg Rucka: Everything in Gibsonville as well as two separate flashbacks and the tagging scene were all shot at the same location. Walking onto that location and seeing it being an abandoned village in France and a Midieval village, and a hospital ward in the 1920's in France and an apartment in Paris - that just blew my mind.
And none of it was a sound stage. That was a really cool and interesting thing to see.
What do you think of Ruckas comments? Have you had a chance to check out The Old Guard on Netflix?
Be sure to check out the audio component of Rucka's interview via the Podcast link below and share your thoughts on the film with us down in the comments section!
Forever is harder than it looks. 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.
The Old Guard is now streaming on Netflix!