Netflix recently announced that their long-awaited superhero film, The Old Guard 2, will finally premiere on streaming in 2025. As the тιтle implies, this movie is the sequel to 2020’s The Old Guard, which follows a group of immortal mercenaries led by Charlize Theron’s character, Andy of Scythia, as they are hunted down by those hoping to harness their regenerative abilities. Scoring an 80% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a 71% rating from audiences, The Old Guard went on to be one of the most popular movies on streaming in 2020.

Naturally, a sequel to The Old Guard has long been in development, with the first film setting up Andy and her team facing off against another immortal from the former’s past. Unfortunately, the production faced multiple delays that put the movie’s future into question. Now that Netflix has announced The Old Guard 2‘s release date, fans can look forward to seeing Andy and the rest of The Old Guard‘s cast return for the sequel.

Why The Old Guard 2 Has Taken So Long

The Old Guard 2 Faced Several Obstacles Throughout Its Development

According to ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, Netflix announced that The Old Guard 2 was in production back in January 2021. Though director Victoria Mahoney replaced Gina Prince-Bythewood at the helm of this sequel, this change in leadership was hardly the production’s biggest issue. When The Old Guard 2 was filming at Cinecittà Studios in Rome, a fire broke out on the set. RTE states that no one was injured, but the incident destroyed the papier-mâché set for The Old Guard 2 and forced everyone to evacuate. This fire disrupted the film’s production by two days.

Principal pH๏τography for The Old Guard 2 finished in September 2022. However, the WGA strike and the SAG-AFTRA strikes in 2023 halted the completion of reshoots for quite a while. On top of all that, Variety stated that the film’s post-production was shut down for five weeks due to another change of leadership within Netflix itself, with Theron revealing this in July 2024. Though making sequel movies usually takes between two and four years, The Old Guard 2 had more than its fair share of setbacks.

The Old Guard 2’s Release Date Confirmation Is Great For The Movie

The Old Guard 2 Could Become Another Summer Blockbuster

When Netflix announced its 2025 film slate, the streaming giant revealed that The Old Guard 2 would premiere on July 2. This release date is roughly a week shy of the original film’s five-year anniversary. Not only that, but its date ensures that The Old Guard 2 will have a big summer opening, as many subscribers should have enough time over the sunny season to enjoy this new superhero movie on streaming.

The Old Guard experienced great success thanks to its premiere in July 2020. Variety reported that 78 million households viewed the movie by October 2020, making The Old Guard the seventh most-watched SVOD film of the year. It’s unknown if The Old Guard 2 will achieve the same number of viewers, but the movie should benefit as the sequel to a popular IP on a still widely-used streaming platform.

What To Expect From The Old Guard 2

The Old Guard Has Already Set Up Andy’s Next Big Battle

According to Variety, The Old Guard will follow Andy of Scythia as she faces a “formidable new enemy.” While this is a generic logline for a sequel, the original Old Guard film seems to have already introduced the franchise’s next villain. Specifically, the film’s post-credits scene depicts the exiled Booker finding an unexpected guest in his apartment: Quŷnh. This immortal was Andy’s first partner, who was accused of witchcraft, trapped in an iron maiden, and dropped in the sea, where she had been forced to drown for 500 years.

It is very likely that Quýnh will be the villain of The Old Guard 2, given that her comic book counterpart, Noriko, turned to a life of crime after being forced to drown for years and returning to civilization. In the comics, Noriko develops a grudge against Andy and the entire human race for “wronging” her, so Quýnh will likely want to get even in the film as well. Likewise, Andy and Noriko were shown to have had a romantic relationship before their separation in the comics, so The Old Guard 2 will likely feature glimpses into their past love life together, creating greater emotional tension.

All in all, The Old Guard 2 faced a difficult production, but the original film has proven that the sequel will be worth the wait once it drops on Netflix on July 2, 2025. Just like the first movie, the second should be another superhero success story for Netflix, as it seems set to premiere in July as another summer blockbuster on streaming. With Quýnh gearing up to be the main antagonist, The Old Guard 2 seems like it will be the franchise’s biggest, most emotional film yet.

Source: Rotten Tomatoes, ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, RTE, Variety