'The Old Guard 2' Gets an Update from One of Its Stars [Exclusive]
The Big Picture
- The Old Guard 2 completed filming over a year ago and is in the final stage of post-production at Netflix.
- Internal changes at Netflix, including a new co-CEO, have reportedly affected the release plans for the sequel.
- Matthias Schoenaerts, who plays Booker, expressed excitement about the film and praised the production team.
It's been a while since Netflix last provided an update on The Old Guard 2, the sequel to the critically acclaimed comic book adaptation starring Charlize Theron as Andromache of Scythia. During a recent interview with Collider's Christina Radish for The Regime, Matthias Schoenaerts, who portrayed Booker in The Old Guard, spoke about the internal decisions at Netflix that have kept the sequel from being released, despite it being filmed over a year ago.
"We shot it approximately a year and a half ago, and I think they’re hitting the last stage of post-production. As far as I've understood, I think there's been a switch at Netflix high up. I think there's a different CEO, so that leads to a reconsidering of release, and how and when, and that's not up to me. I don’t know. But I know we’re hitting the last stage of post-production, so it’s gonna show up at some point."
When it was released, The Old Guard became one of Netflix's most successful launches, and the studio decided to quickly move forward with the development of a sequel. The Old Guard 2, which was directed by Victoria Mahoney, was filmed back in 2022, with the main cast returning to reprise their roles, alongside newcomers Uma Thurman and Henry Golding
When asked what it was like to reprise Booker and return to the world, Schoenaerts was quick to answer, "It was nice," before going on to say, "The people I work with there are friends of mine, so it’s always nice to work with friends and to work with a great production team and lovely director, Victoria Mahoney. I’m very curious to see it, actually. I haven’t seen anything yet, so I’m curious."
When Will 'The Old Guard 2' Be Released?
CloseGina Prince-Bythewood directed the first film, which followed Andy and her team of immortal mercenaries as they tried to take on missions that could help people for centuries until they ran into Nile (KiKi Layne). The young woman realized she couldn't die, and it was up to Andy, Booker, Joe (Marwan Kenzari), and Nicky (Luca Marinelli) to find her before it was too late. After recruiting Nile, their journey was far from over, with The Old Guard coming to an end as a former member of the team, Quynh (Veronica Ngo), appearing in Booker's apartment just in time for the credits to roll.
As Schoenaerts noted during the interview, Ted Sarandos and Reed Hastings were co-CEOs from July 2020 until January 2023, when Hastings transitioned into the role of Executive Chairman of Netflix, with Greg Peters, the former COO, stepping into the co-CEO role beside Sarandos. Netflix has undergone a number of strategy changes over the years, and it sounds like the streamer has The Old Guard 2 in a bit of a holding pattern. Hopefully, with the film in the final stages of post-production, it's only a matter of time before Netflix releases an official update on its release plans.
The Old Guard is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
The Old Guard
RThrillerAction Release Date July 10, 2020 Director Gina Prince-Bythewood Cast Charlize Theron , Kiki Layne , Matthias Schoenaerts , Marwan Kenzari , Luca Marinelli , Chiwetel Ejiofor Runtime 125 minutes Main Genre Thriller Writers Greg Rucka , Leandro Fernandez Tagline Forever is harder than it looks ExpandncG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51kwamxjKijnWWXqq6zsIxrZK6olJbBpns%3D