The Old Guard 2 Cast, Director, Possible Plotlines And More Details

Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and based on the comics by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández, "The Old Guard" was like a breath of fresh air when it hit Netflix in July 2020. After all, people were cooped up inside, and there weren't many new releases hitting theaters. So when Charlize Theron showed up wielding a battle ax, nearly 80 million subscriber households watched the action flick in its first four weeks on the streamer.

All those eyeballs were also thanks to the film's awesome premise. "The Old Guard" follows a group of immortal warriors — some of whom were born centuries or even millennia ago. Led by Theron's Andromache of Scythia (aka Andy), these ageless wonders undertake dangerous missions across the globe, all while keeping their actions on the downlow. After all, there are plenty of nefarious characters out there who'd love to experiment on these eternal heroes to discover their life-giving secret.

Over the course of the first film, the protagonists gain a new member with U.S. Marine Nile Freeman (Kiki Lane), do battle with a villainous pharmaceutical company, and find themselves in a tricky situation when Andy suddenly loses her immortal powers. Talk about high concept. And with the first film being such a success, it's no wonder that Netflix has ordered up a sequel. But what exactly do we know about "The Old Guard 2?" Well, read on if you want to learn more about this action-packed sequel.

In June 2021, "Old Guard" fans got fantastic news when Marc Malkin of Variety reported, "It's official! Charlize Theron tells me that the script is done for the sequel to 'The Old Guard,' her Netflix film adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name." Filming soon got underway, although production was set back a bit in August 2022 when a fire broke out on the movie's Italian shooting location. Fortunately, no one was hurt, nothing was majorly damaged, and filming recommenced two days after the fiery pause in action.

Then in December 2022, Theron gave The Hollywood Reporter a super positive update on the proceedings. While discussing an injury she sustained during the shoot, the actress said, "I just had shoulder surgery two weeks ago. ... We just wrapped the sequel to 'Old Guard,' where I was hanging off the side of a helicopter. I so wish that was the story. Instead, it was during training. I was learning to sword fight."

In addition to learning that Theron will have some sort of sword battle, the biggest takeaway from the THR piece was that filming had finally ended. So when exactly will we see "The Old Guard 2?" Well, in July 2024, Theron spoke to Variety and explained why it was taking so long to see her new action film. "Netflix went through quite a changeover," she said. "We got kind of stuck in that and our post-production shut down, I think, five weeks into it." The trade also reports that the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes paused things for a bit. However, Theron promised "The Old Guard 2" is on its way, saying, "We finally picked it back up, and I'm really excited about it."

If you loved the cast's chemistry in the first "Old Guard," never fear — they're all coming back. Yep, Charlize Theron will be slicing and dicing through bad guys as Andy, and KiKi Layne will return as newbie Nile Freeman. Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli will portray everybody's favorite immortal couple, Joe and Nicky, and Matthias Schoenaerts is returning as the traitorous Booker. You can also expect to see Chiwetel Ejiofor of "Doctor Strange" fame reprise his part of the Old Guard's handler, Copley.

Veronica Ngo is also set to reprise the briefly glimpsed character of Quynh, who's probably in a pretty bad mood after spending so much time at the bottom of the ocean. But which fresh faces are joining the cast? Well, Henry Golding of "Crazy Rich Asians" and "A Simple Favor" will be showing up, bringing over his action cred from movies such as "Snake Eyes" and "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." We'll also get to see the Bride herself in action. Yep, that's right — Uma Thurman of "Kill Bill" will also appear in the film, although we don't know who she or Golding are playing at the moment.

Currently, we don't have an official plot synopsis for "The Old Guard 2." The only solid bit of info we have comes from producer Marc Evans, who told Variety the film would delve deeper into Joe and Nicky's love story. However, based on the original film's ending and the comics, we can make some educated guesses about where the sequel is heading.

At the end of "The Old Guard," Andy gains a new sense of purpose but loses her immortality. While our heroes can live for thousands of years and take a truckload of bullets, their powers do eventually wane, making them susceptible to death. Now that Andy is mortal, that's bound to make her a bit more vulnerable.

And that's bad news, as her ex-girlfriend is back with bad intentions. In the film's post-credit scene, we learn that Quynh — Andy's old flame and a former member of her mercenary group — has escaped from her watery grave, where she was locked inside an iron maiden by witch hunters, fated to drown, resurrect, and drown again for 500 years. Needless to say, that kind of thing can make anyone a little unhinged, and we're expecting Quynh to be the villain of "The Old Guard 2."

That lines up with the events of "The Old Guard: Force Multiplied," the second volume in the "Old Guard" comic book series. Here, Andy finds herself facing the comics' Quynh equivalent, Noriko, who's gone insane, plans on punishing humanity, and has quite a bit of blackmail material on our protagonist. After all, Andy's been alive for millennia, and the social mores of the ancient world were a bit different than they are today — a fact that drives a wedge amongst the Old Guard.

The first "Old Guard" movie was helmed by the legendary Gina Prince-Bythewood, the director of films such as "Beyond the Lights" and "Love & Basketball." However, while Prince-Bythewood is producing the sequel, she isn't directing this time around. The filmmaker was too busy with other projects such as "The Woman King" — one of the best action movies of 2022. So who will be stepping into her talented shoes?

Those duties have gone to Victoria Mahoney, who became not just the first woman but also the first Black woman to ever direct a "Star Wars" movie when she worked as a second unit director on "The Rise of Skywalker." Additionally, Mahoney helmed the Zoë Kravitz drama "Yelling to the Sky" and has been involved with TV shows such as "Grey's Anatomy" and "Lovecraft Country." As for who penned the script, Greg Rucka — the co-creator of the "Old Guard" comic series and the scribe behind the first film — is in charge of writing the screenplay.

We haven't seen "The Old Guard 2" just yet, but we're already wanting more installments in the series. After all, this particular tale feels ripe for further films. It's about a bunch of immortal soldiers saving the downtrodden and taking an unholy amount of damage in the process. That's franchise material right there. Plus, the "Old Guard" comic series has three volumes, so there's definitely material to be adapted. So will we be getting a third "Old Guard" film in the future?

Well, in July 2020, original "Old Guard" director Gina Prince-Bythewood spoke to Digital Spy and revealed, "I know that Greg Rucka ... [has] always envisioned this as a trilogy. I know where the story goes, and it's pretty great. So if the audience is eager for it, there's definitely more stories to tell."

Years later, producer Marc Evans said something very similar to Variety. In May 2023, he told the trade that "The Old Guard 2" will end in the perfect way to set up a threequel. As he put it, "There's an ending to No. 2 that kind of demands a No. 3, which makes me quite happy." In other words, it sounds like "The Old Guard 2" will end on some sort of major cliffhanger.

With titles like "Extraction," "The Gray Man," and "Triple Frontier," Netflix is one of the best studios in the business when it comes to action movies. And perhaps the crown jewel of their collection is "The Old Guard." The streamer will also host the Charlize Theron sequel when it's eventually released, and while you're waiting for part two and its epic action sequences, it might be a good idea to check out the first movie to witness all the immortal shootouts and the undying relationship drama. So yeah, what are you waiting for? Head over to Netflix, and watch Charlize Theron murder a whole bunch of bad guys.