The Old Guard 3 - Will It Happen?

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After a long wait made even longer by leadership switch-ups at Netflix, fans of 2020's "The Old Guard" finally got the sequel they had been yearning for in 2025. "The Old Guard 2" has been a big hit for Netflix as of this writing, debuting at the top of the streamer's most-watched chart the week it was released. It's proof that viewers are still invested in the journey of Andy (Charlize Theron) and her immortal crew, but will they return for a third adventure?

The answer to that question is, of course, dependent on how "The Old Guard 2" does in the long run, but fans still have a lot of questions about the future of the franchise. What obstacles might keep the threequel from being made? Who is likely to return if another film does get greenlit? And what have the cast and crew said about there being another entry in the "Old Guard" universe? Here's what we know.

If you're a fan of "The Old Guard" and its sequel, you've probably found yourself asking why there's been nothing official on a third film yet. At least part of that question might be answered by the unfavorable critical response to "The Old Guard 2." Fans loved "The Old Guard" and critics were even more supportive of it: On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an audience score of 70% and a critical rating of 80%. The first film also has a "generally favorable" score on Metacritic, where it's rated at 70. The response was pretty positive across the board, but the same cannot be said of the follow-up.

Viewers and critics were not happy about how "The Old Guard 2" turned out. It has a telling 37% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and the pro reviews are even more damning: The sequel has a lowly 24% on the Tomatometer. On Metacritic, it's classed as "mixed or average" with a rating of 44, but the user rating paints a grim picture at just 3.9, which puts it in the "generally unfavorable" category. There was also a drop in IMDb scores: The first film has a 6.7 rating, while the sequel has a 5.1.

However, none of this has stopped people from streaming "The Old Guard 2" on Netflix. The film dropped on July 2, 2025, and, as of this writing on July 9, it's the most popular film on Netflix, holding the top spot on the streaming giant's global and American charts. This bodes well for a third film. The powers that be are likely waiting for the dust to settle before making a decision on whether or not to continue the franchise. Fans will have to hope that the streaming figures outweigh the negative reviews.

While promoting "The Old Guard 2," star Charlize Theron discussed the possibility of another installment in the franchise, though she was unable to shed much light on how likely it is to happen. "I'm being completely honest when I say that we have absolutely no idea what that [third film] would even look like," Theron told The Hollywood Reporter. She also told Variety that everyone involved needed some time to rest. "We're going to take a break, take a little breather, and then we'll come back and decide," she said.

Henry Golding (Tuah) and Marwan Kenzari (Joe) both expressed a desire to reprise their roles in a third outing during an interview with Decider, with the latter saying, "I think we just all hope that we [get a sequel] as fast as we can. We don't need a lot of excuses to hang out, on set, and off." If he gets his wish, he'll be working under a different director, as "The Old Guard 2" helmer Victoria Mahoney has confirmed that she'll be too busy to take on another entry. "The duration of this film took me from other projects I have, so I am legally obliged to some other projects," Mahoney told The Direct. "So, I will be for the next six, seven years, on some other jobs."

The good news is that Greg Rucka, who co-created the comic books the movies were based on, is keen to see another film get made. In an exclusive "Old Guard" interview with Looper, the comic book veteran said: "There is a complete three-part story that can be told and, God willing if it's a success, Netflix comes back and says, 'Hey, let's do it again.' There's more to tell, and there's questions that we want to answer."

Contains spoilers for "The Old Guard 2"

"The Old Guard 2" ends on an enormous cliffhanger, with much of Andy's team being captured by Discord (Uma Thurman). Discord has lost her immortality and thinks that Nile (KiKi Layne) is a conduit for regaining it. Discord stabs Andy in the heart and uses the time she has gained to run off with Nile, Tuah, Joe, and Nicky (Luca Marinelli) as her captives. Only the now-mortal Quỳnh (Veronica Ngô) has been spared. She reconciles with a healing Andy. Together, they vow to bring in Discord and save the rest of the team.

A third film would follow Quỳnh and Andy as they attempt to rescue their friends. They would also be forced to deal with the aftermath of the death of Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), who sacrifices himself in Andy's name. If you want to know more about what's likely to happen in "The Old Guard 3" should it get made, you can always pick up the graphic novels. They were released in three chapters, with the third — "The Old Guard: Tales Through Time" — taking place across six issues. The first two films, based on "The Old Guard: Opening Fire" and "The Old Guard: Force Multiplied," were pretty faithful to the source material, so it stands to reason that a threequel would more or less follow the events of "The Old Guard: Tales Through Time."

As the project is yet to be greenlit, there are no confirmed cast members for "The Old Guard 3" yet. The obvious returning faces would be Uma Thurman as Discord, KiKi Layne as Nile, Charlize Theron as Andy, Veronica Ngô as Quỳnh, Marwan Kenzari as Joe, Henry Golding as Tuah, and Luca Marinelli as Nicky. All of these characters are left with incomplete arcs by the end of "The Old Guard 2." At the very least, Theron and Thurman would have to return for the story to work.

Naturally, new actors might be added to the group. In fact, this is highly likely given that "The Old Guard: Tales Through Time," the third chapter in the graphic novel series, takes more of an anthology approach. There are a few distinct stories that introduce new characters, some of them major. If the third film was to merge some or all of these tales together in some fashion, a fresh crop of talent would need to be added to the cast.

If you still haven't seen the second film, check out our "The Old Guard 2" recap video before you sit down to stream it on Netflix.