Back in 2020, Netflix scored a major success with “The Old Guard,” starring Charlize Theron and Matthias Schoenaerts as members of a secretive team of immortal mercenaries fighting to protect their identities.
A sequel was filmed and wrapped production in August 2022, but strangely, it was still missing from Netflix’s release schedule. However, it’s now official, “The Old Guard 2” will be released July 2 on Netflix, and the film just received its rating from the MPA; Rated R “for sequences of graphic violence, and some language.”
The MPA rating means the film has finally been put in the can. Three years later, it’s finally ready. So, what was the holdup? Last year, Theron told Variety that post-production had been abruptly halted by Netflix, attributing the delay to recent leadership shake-ups at the streamer.
What’s puzzling, though, was Theron’s explanation. Leadership changes delaying a film that’s already deep in post-production? That’s not something you hear often, and it certainly raises questions about what was going on behind the scenes.
The original film was directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and landed somewhere in the middle of the pack — a reasonably watchable entry that stood out slightly among Netflix’s usual action fare, but didn’t break new ground. However, the film was a major hit on Netflix in July 2020. Within its first four weeks, the film was viewed by an estimated 78M households, making it one of Netflix’s most-watched original films at the time.
For the sequel, Prince-Bythewood has stepped aside, with Victoria Mahoney taking over directing duties. Mahoney’s most notable previous credit is 2011’s “Yelling to the Sky,” which received a mixed critical reception.
Snyder has mentioned in the past how “Sucker Punch “never really got finished correctly,” and that it was “not really the correct cut.” The extra footage is actually already shot.