As The Old Guard 2 trends on Netflix’s top charts, Charlize Theron is uncertain that The Old Guard 3 will happen. The 2025 release served as the follow-up to Theron’s 2020 action movie, which was a huge hit for Netflix and received strong reviews, currently sitting at 80% on Rotten Tomatoes.

After waiting five years for the next installment, Theron’s return as Andy in The Old Guard 2 has been a more divisive entry in the franchise. It only has a 22% score on Rotten Tomatoes with critics, and the audience score is not much better, 36%. Yet, The Old Guard 2‘s ending leaves audiences in need of a third film.

Netflix has yet to announce any plans for The Old Guard 3, and Charlize Theron is not certain that it will happen. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, which was conducted before The Old Guard 2‘s release, the franchise star shared an update on where a third film stands and what she knows about it.

Never confident, no. One thing I’ve learned in this business is that there are no guarantees, and it’s really gracious of [Netflix] to not have pushed us into another direction. This was always where we wanted to land the film, and it’s also very reminiscent of the first one. So we treated this one exactly the same, but I’m being completely honest when I say that we have absolutely no idea what that [third film] would even look like.

What This Means For The Old Guard 3

It’s Status Remains Unclear

It’s clear from Charlize Theron’s comments that there was no early movement on The Old Guard 3 ahead of The Old Guard 2‘s release. Her comments show how she’s learned not to count on getting sequels to films before they are announced, as other franchises she has been part of have not always continued on.

Netflix’s decision to allow The Old Guard 2 to end on such a cliffhanger without plans for a third film solidified is surprising. Viewers who have watched the sequel are left without a proper conclusion to the story. Now, if The Old Guard 3 does not happen, Andy’s story will feel incomplete.

It may have been better for the film to end in a more complete place as they sort out what comes next for the franchise. When even Theron is talking about how she doesn’t know what the third film would be about or look like, it’s apparent that a grand vision for this series does not inherently exist.

While Theron’s caution about The Old Guard 3 is understandable, it’ll be interesting to see how the current reception impacts the threequel’s chances of happening. The critical response is a huge drop from its predecessor, but the sequel has still been a big hit for Netflix. The Old Guard 2 was the #1 movie on the service when it debuted and racked up 37.5 million views in its first week.

Our Take On The Old Guard 3’s Chances

Will It Happen?

The fate of The Old Guard 3 is ultimately up to Netflix, and it may take some time for a decision to be made. Netflix took over a year to greenlight The Old Guard 2 officially, which gave them enough time to figure out who would direct it and start to align filming schedules.

The streamer should take its time to figure out if The Old Guard 3 is a movie that audiences are really clamoring for. The early viewership is promising, as the 37.5 million views so far stacks up well against its predecessor. For reference, The Old Guard received 78 million views in its first four weeks of release via Variety.

If The Old Guard 2‘s viewership ends up coming close to or exceeding the performance of the original movie, it would make sense for Netflix to greenlight another. Theron is interested in doing The Old Guard 3, too, so Netflix’s likely interest in staying in business with one of Hollywood’s biggest stars could also help the threequel eventually get made.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter