‘The Old Guard’ Director Gina Prince-Bythewood on Sequel Possibilities for Netflix Smash
[Editor’s Note: This story contains spoilers for Netflix‘s “The Old Guard.”]
Is there a future ahead for Netflix’s smash-hit action movie “The Old Guard”? Don’t rule it out, as the film is currently sitting at the top spot in the charts for the United States after just releasing on July 10. But that’s not the only factor working in the favor of a possible sequel. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and written by Greg Rucka, “The Old Guard” is based on not one, but a trilogy of graphic novels written by Rucka, with artist Leandro Fernández. There’s also the fact that the protagonists, a team of mercenaries led by Charlize Theron and KiKi Layne, are immortal.
Director Prince-Bythewood has revealed to Entertainment Weekly that she and Rucka have plans for two more films in mind. “The graphic novel itself is a trilogy,” she said. “Where the story goes is pretty phenomenal, so if the audience is for it, I think we are as well.”
The film’s last moments certainly point to what could be in store for a possible next film, as Matthias Schoenaerts’ Booker, exiled and living in solitude after an act of betrayal, is approached by the former Old Guard member Quynh, played by Veronica Ngo.
About the final scene, Prince-Bythewood told Collider, “It was part of the graphic novel, and I always loved it because I felt there would have been a hole, if it didn’t end the way it did. There’s always a fear because you don’t want to annoy an audience. I know how I feel when things are left open, but for me, we told the story. It does have a beginning, middle, and end.”
She also said that the scene opens up to “a possibility of more, but that’s absolutely up to the audience. Greg has always envisioned this as a trilogy. I know where the story is going and it’s pretty dope. So, if the audience wants more, there’s certainly more story to tell.”
Whether or not she would be up for directing the sequel, Prince-Bythewood said, “It’s been two years, and just coming out of it now, I’m eager for a rest.”
It’s not unlike Netflix to greenlight a sequel to one of its hit movies. Earlier this year, the success of another mercenary thriller on the platform, “Extraction,” almost immediately put development on a followup installment into motion.
