Charlize Theron and her band of immortal mercenaries return for The Old Guard 2
Charlize Theron had already established her action-hero cred in such movies as Æon Flux, Atomic Blonde and Mad Max: Fury Road when she headlined Netflix’s 2020 fantasy adventure flick The Old Guard. The premise was certainly unique, with the Monster Oscar winner playing Andy, the leader of a tight-knit group of mercenaries who are actually millennia-old warriors with mysterious regenerative healing abilities that render them immortal. When the secrets of Andy — her actual moniker is Andromache of Scythia — and her team were exposed, they fought back to eliminate the threat of those seeking to replicate and monetize their power.
Five years later, The Old Guard 2 continues the story, and this time Andy faces off against a formidable foe: Discord, the self-proclaimed “first of the immortals,” played by Uma Thurman.
As director Victoria Mahoney noted, Kill Bill veteran Thurman is no slouch in the action department herself. “I believe audiences are excited to see Black Mamba and Atomic Blonde go toe to toe,” Mahoney told Netflix’s Tudum. Of course, Mahoney pointed out, both actresses bring much more than their stunt skills to the table. “For me, in any fight scene, there has to be a worthy opponent,” she added. “Worthy opponents effortlessly elevate fight beats, likewise, worthy opponents effortlessly elevate dramatic beats.”
Screenwriter Greg Rucka, who co-created the graphic novels upon which the films are based, confirmed that viewers are in for an epic battle. “The first film is coming out of a place where Andy has found a purpose, so the second film has to challenge that,” he explained. “That challenge is embodied by Discord. Never mind that you have Charlize over here, and you have Uma over here, and you have melee weapons — anybody who doesn’t want to see the inevitable fight that will come from that has missed the last several years of cinema!”
Meanwhile, fans of the first film can catch up with the rest of Andy’s team. That certainly includes Booker (Matthias Schoenarts), who remains in exile after betraying the others. Then there’s Quynh (Veronica Ngô), who has returned after centuries hidden away in the ocean. “Being in that iron box was so terrifying and painful for Quynh,” Ngô said. “But then coming back to a totally strange world . . . just imagine being away for maybe 10 years, 20 years, 30 years. This is 500 years, and everything has been changing.”
Meanwhile, Andy, Nile (KiKi Layne), Joe (Marwan Kenzari), Nicky (Luca Marinelli) work with former CEO operative James Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) continue to delve into the secrets behind their immortality by seeking the assistance of an old friend, Tuah (Henry Golding).
For Golding, the opportunity to work with Thurman was an irresistible draw. “Uma is literally the best,” Golding gushed. “She is everything you want her to be. When we had scenes together, she’d look at me and the fanboy would come out.”
Those intense action scenes may look effortless, but they don’t always come without a cost. That was certainly the case for Golding, who threw out his back — not while filming a scene, mind you, but while practicing for one. “It’s always in practice,” Golding told Variety. “It’s always the day before we’re meant to be filming. I’m like, [Golding makes a squealing sound], and then I’m blown out for the rest of the week.”
Working on the film made Golding respect co-stars Thurman and Theron even more than he already did. “It’s no easy business doing all that stuff,” Golding said of the stunts. “We’re doing it all on the fly sometimes. You practice as much as possible, but it changes when you’re on location so you have to adapt.”
Golding was also impressed with Theron, in her dual role as star and producer of The Old Guard 2. “She’s the best,” Golding said. “She leads from the front. She was on set every time as a producer and she does all of her stunts. She’s amazing.”
The Old Guard 2 premieres Wednesday, July 2, on Netflix