Charlize Theron confirms the script for The Old Guard 2 is complete and filming starts in early 2022. Netflix teamed up with Theron a few years ago to give her a new potential franchise. Based on the comics by Greg Rucka, The Old Guard was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. The movie starred Theron as Andy, a nearly immortal mercenary who helps protect humanity. Upon its release in 2020, The Old Guard became one of Netflix's biggest hits.
The success of the movie immediately pushed all parties involved to begin discussing the possibility of The Old Guard 2. Theron expressed her hope for a sequel to be made, with Rucka eventually confirming that Netflix was considering the sequel. The streaming service has yet to officially announce that The Old Guard 2 is happening, but all signs pointed to it eventually happening. Now, it is confirmed that great progress has been made on the follow-up film.
Theron confirmed major news about The Old Guard 2 during a recent interview with Variety. She revealed that the sequel's script is complete and that filming begins in early 2022. The interviewer also asked if Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli will be back as the film's gay couple, Joe and Nicky, to which Theron enthusiastically confirmed they will be returning. No other cast members are officially involved as of yet, but Kiki Layne, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthias Schoenaerts, and Ngô Thanh Vân should most likely return. It is also expected that Gina Prince-Bythewood will once again direct the movie.
The end of The Old Guard pretty clearly sets up where The Old Guard 2's story will go. Although Andy and her fellow immortals defeat the film's villain, she is still dealing with the realization that she's lost her immortality. Furthermore, The Old Guard's post-credits scene showed the return of Ngô Thanh Vân's Quynh, one of Andy's oldest allies who was left imprisoned at the bottom of the ocean to die over and over again. She shows up to greet Schoenaerts' Booker after he is exiled from the team, which could make Quynh the villain of The Old Guard 2. Theron didn't confirm any other details on where the sequel's script will take the story, but it should continue to build off of this setup.
Now that Theron has confirmed The Old Guard 2 starts filming in early 2022, that should give fans a general idea of when the sequel will begin streaming on Netflix. A 2023 release date is highly likely as long as there are no setbacks or delays at this point. Netflix smartly positioned the original as a summer blockbuster in the middle of COVID-19 lockdowns. The Old Guard 2 will probably release in the summer of whatever year it is released, as Netflix attempts to repeat the success of the first.
Source: Variety