The Old Guard 2 is no closer to a confirmed Netflix release date, but we have at least had a positive update on the long-delayed sequel.
"We shot it approximately a year and a half ago, and I think they're hitting the last stage of post-production," Matthias Schoenaerts said in February 2024.
"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. But I know we're hitting the last stage of post-production, so it's gonna show up at some point."
It's been four years since the release of The Old Guard (one of the best action movies on Netflix), and filming for the sequel was officially completed in September 2022.
Recently, Netflix shelved indefinitely Halle Berry's sci-fi movie The Mothership because of post-production delays, so fans are worried The Old Guard 2 might suffer the same fate.
For now, let's hope the release date and first trailer are around the corner. Here's everything you need to know about The Old Guard 2.
The Old Guard 2 potential release date: When can we expect The Old Guard 2?
As mentioned above, The Old Guard 2 doesn't have a confirmed release date on Netflix as of March 2024.
The first movie proved a hit on Netflix when it was released in July 2020, so we thought The Old Guard 2 would be released in July 2023. However, that never came to pass.
What we do know is that the sequel was filmed from June to September 2022 in the likes of Italy and the UK, so barring any reshoots, it's almost ready to go. It was missing from Netflix's confirmed 2024 release slate, though.
Fortunately, it sounds like The Old Guard 2 will be worth the wait – and we might even be getting a third movie after the sequel arrives.
"There's an ending that kind of demands a number three, which makes me very happy," producer Marc Evans told Variety in May 2023, although he stopped short of confirming it was actually happening.
Behind the scenes, Victoria Mahoney took over as director from Gina Prince-Bythewood, who stayed on as a producer. In front of the camera, though, the main cast all came back for another action-packed adventure.
Greg Rucka – who wrote the comic book the movie was based on – returned to write the sequel. He always envisioned the story as a trilogy, which might be why Evans was so confident about a third movie.
The Old Guard 2 cast: Who's coming back for The Old Guard 2?
There was only one major casualty in the first movie, as Harry Melling's Merrick painfully worked out what happened when you mess with Andy's team.
All of the main cast will return for the sequel, so that's Charlize Theron as Andy, KiKi Layne as Nile, Matthias Schoenaerts as Booker, Marwan Kenzari as Joe and Luca Marinelli as Nicky.
Chiwetel Ejiofor's Copley has now seen the error of his ways and, at the end of the first movie, is tasked with ensuring the team remain hidden from anyone who would do them harm (like Merrick).
Ejiofor has been confirmed to return, too, but it's unclear if he'll have a major role in the sequel or will just be an M-like figure on the outside.
Instead, it seems that Veronica Ngo will play a key part in the sequel as the returning Quynh, but it's not yet clear whether that will be as a friend or foe to the team.
In the comics, Quynh's character is named Noriko and is Japanese. The decision to change it came after Veronica Ngo was cast, and it doesn't mean that another character called Noriko will arrive in the sequel.
"When Veronica was cast, she said, 'I'm not Japanese – I'm Vietnamese'. [Director Gina Prince-Bythewood] reached out to me and said, 'Can we accommodate that?' and I was like, 'absolutely'," Greg Rucka confirmed.
"Noriko becomes Quynh – Quynh is now Vietnamese. It really was as simple as wanting to honour that and be respectful of that."
It's also possible that we could see more of Micheal Ward as fallen Old Guard member Lykon.
We saw him die in flashbacks to Andy and Quynh's time together, but could there be more to his story? He's the only immortal we've heard of to die, so it could be something explored as we get more of Andy and Quynh's relationship.
Two new faces have been confirmed for the sequel in the form of Uma Thurman and Henry Golding. We don't yet know who they'll be playing and whether, like Quynh, they'll be friend or foe to Andy and her team.
The Old Guard ending: How does it set up The Old Guard 2?
As we've spoken about in more detail here, the most significant bit of the ending comes in the credits scene.
We catch up with Booker in Paris six months after he's been banished from the team due to his betrayal. As he walks into his place, he's greeted by none other than Quynh, who has somehow escaped from the bottom of the ocean.
"It's nice to finally meet you," she tells him, but that's all we get from Quynh's return, so we'll have to wait until the sequel to see if she's out for vengeance or whether she just wants to be reunited with Andy.
Rucka has already written a second Old Guard comic book called Force Multiplied that also starts with Quynh's return.
To give a tease of what to expect, the comic book sequel sees Quynh reveal that she thinks they've been made immortal to make humanity suffer, rather than to save it, and she wants Andy to join her in her quest, and as her lover again.
But if you want all of the answers and what happens next, you can read the comic as you wait for the potential sequel.
The other major reveal that will have an impact on the sequel is that Andy is now technically no longer immortal.
She realises this when a stab wound from an earlier fight in church doesn't heal, so now, every battle could technically be her last. Andy believes that the arrival of Nile has led to this massive change.
"I think you showed up when I lost my immortality. So I could see what it was like. So I could remember. Remember what it… what it was like to feel unbreakable. Remarkable. You reminded me there are people still worth fighting for," she explained.
It's one of the biggest changes from the comic book it's based on, but it's a vital one, as it adds a tension that could have been missing from a movie about immortal soldiers.
That's about all we know so far about the story of the sequel, but we can also expect that Theron's Andy will be sporting a striking new hairstyle. "We needed something that felt like time had passed, so for that, you go with the ol' mullet," Theron explained.
The Old Guard 2 trailer: Any footage from The Old Guard 2 yet?
Filming might have finished on The Old Guard 2, but unfortunately, it'll probably be a while before we see any footage, as there's still no release date.
The Old Guard is available to watch on Netflix.
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Movies Editor, Digital Spy Ian has more than 10 years of movies journalism experience as a writer and editor. Starting out as an intern at trade bible Screen International, he was promoted to report and analyse UK box-office results, as well as carving his own niche with horror movies, attending genre festivals around the world. After moving to Digital Spy, initially as a TV writer, he was nominated for New Digital Talent of the Year at the PPA Digital Awards. He became Movies Editor in 2019, in which role he has interviewed 100s of stars, including Chris Hemsworth, Florence Pugh, Keanu Reeves, Idris Elba and Olivia Colman, become a human encyclopedia for Marvel and appeared as an expert guest on BBC News and on-stage at MCM Comic-Con. Where he can, he continues to push his horror agenda – whether his editor likes it or not.
