The Old Guard debuted on Netflix earlier this month on July 10. Based on the comic by writer Greg Rucka and artist Leandro Fernandez, it follows a group of near-immortal warriors led by Andromache the Scythia (played by Charlize Theron, and you can just call her Andy) who have spent the centuries doing good.
There was no particular reason to think it would blow up — Netflix releases original movies all the time, often with little fanfare — but blow up it did, becoming one of the service’s most popular movies ever in a few short weeks.
THE OLD GUARD is breaking records! The Charlize Theron blockbuster is already among the top 10 most popular Netflix films ever — and Gina Prince-Bythewood is the first Black female director on the list.
— Netflix Tudum (@NetflixTudum) July 18, 2020
The film is currently on track to reach 72M households in its first 4 weeks! pic.twitter.com/pM8vOTNa6m
With that kind of attention, people are naturally wondering about a sequel. And if you watched the movie, you know The Old Guard sets itself up for one.
The movie is a pretty straightforward adaptation of the first leg of the comic book, The Old Guard: Opening Fire. Since then, Rucka and Fernandez have been out several issues of a second volume, Force Multiplied, and are planning a third to round out the story.
So could Netflix use Force Multiplied as the bases for a sequel? Rucka talked it through with SyFy Wire:
"Look, it would be absolutely dishonest to say that we did not include in the movie a ‘in case of sequel, break glass’ scene. It’s very easy to light that fuse and to move into a second story. However, to me, just personally, this is very important: it’s not contingent. This is not a movie where, when it is over, the audience is left going, ‘Oh, great, now I have to wait two years for the next one.’ You don’t need another movie to end the story. I am very appreciative of that. So, if the movie is successful, there will be discussions of a sequel, I’m sure. At this point in time, I’m unaware of any discussions going forward or any plans to do so. I certainly believe at this moment, from everything that I hear, that Netflix is quite happy with the movie they got, so I guess it will be a question of whether or not people are happy with the movie Netflix shows them, and that will be the deciding factor."
It’s true that the movie does stand on its own. But given how successful it is, and how perfectly the story could roll over into a sequel, I have to think that Netflix is seriously considering it, if they’re not making plans already.
SPOILERS for The Old Guard follow below!
So how is this sequel set up? Well, in the movie, we learn about Quynh (Van Veronica Ngo), an immortal who used to travel with Andy hundreds of years ago. The two were incredibly close, but Quynh was labeled a witch and eventually tossed into the sea in an iron maiden. She’s been at the bottom of the sea ever since, drowning and then coming back to life so she can drown again, her immortality making it impossible for her to die.
It’s rough. And Andy admits that, while she spent a lot of time trying to recover Quynh, she eventually gave up the search, and has been haunted by guilt ever since. Then, at the very end of the movie, Quynh shows up! And we imagine she’s none too pleased with having been abandoned.
That’s a perfect setup for a sequel if there ever was one. Watch this space.
To stay up to date on everything fantasy, science fiction, and WiC, follow our all-encompassing Facebook page and sign up for our exclusive newsletter.
Get HBO, Starz, Showtime and MORE for FREE with a no-risk, 7-day free trial of Amazon Channels