The script for The Old Guard 2 is finished, and filming is set to begin next year, Charlize Theron has confirmed. Theron revealed the news in an interview with Variety, where she also said that Joe and Nicky (Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli) – a gay couple who critics considered a highlight of the first film – are also “definitely” returning for the action movie sequel. No other cast members are officially involved as of yet.
It’s unsurprising that Netflix is keen to make an Old Guard sequel. The movie was one of the streaming giant’s biggest films of 2020. They report that 78 million households watched the film over its first four weeks, and it went on to become the seventh most-streamed movie of the year.
In fact, Netflix was so confident in The Old Guard, Ted Sarandos, co-chief executive and chief content officer, said the company was looking at turning The Old Guard into a franchise before the first movie even came out. Theron had also previously suggested she’d be up for a sequel. “Let’s have a little resting period,” she told Deadline. “But just given the fact that all of us really want to do it, I’m sure when it’s the right time, we’ll start the conversation.”
Based on the comic by Greg Rucka, The Old Guard tells the story of a group of immortal mercenaries, led by Andy (Theron), who find themselves targeted by a ruthless pharmaceutical executive who hopes to find the secret to their agelessness.
The Old Guard’s post-credit scene set up a potential sequel with the return of another immortal named Quynh (Ngô Thanh Vân), who last we saw had been locked in an Iron Maiden and tossed into the ocean where she’d die over and over again. How she got free or why she’s returned are unknown, but this seems like an obvious place to begin the sequel.
Greg Rucka has written a sequel to the original comic called The Old Guard: Force Multiplied, but it’s unknown if the sequel will adapt that particular story. We expect we’ll start hearing more news regarding casting and the story in the run-up to filming next year.