The Old Guard 3 Won't Bring Back 1 Franchise Player If the Sequel Happens (Exclusive)

The Old Guard 3 is not expected to bring back one familiar face from the franchise after comments emerged from an exclusive interview with The Direct. Netflix's upcoming sequel to 2020's The Old Guard will continue the story of Andy (Charlize Theron) and her team of immortal warriors who have spent centuries fighting for the sake of humanity. After defeating a ruthless CEO who wanted their powers for his financial gain, The Old Guard 2 introduces a much more dangerous threat, since the protagonists will go up against an evil immortal warrior, Discord (played by Dexter: Resurrection newcomer Uma Thurman). 

What makes the sequel interesting is that The Old Guard's ending revealed that Andy has lost her immortality, raising the stakes even more as she goes up against a terrifying foe in the sequel. With a stacked cast of A-listers led by Theron and Thurman, The Old Guard 2 promises plenty of incredible action and emotionally intense scenes anchored by a compelling story, spearheaded by its visionary director Victoria Mahoney. However, new comments from the Netflix filmmaker suggest that she will no longer be around when The Old Guard 3 returns. 

Speaking in an exclusive interview with The Direct, The Old Guard 2 director Victoria Mahoney addressed the possibility of returning to helm its potential follow-up, The Old Guard 3, admitting that she is "not in the room" and "someone else will take that mantle in a wonderful, exciting way:"

The Direct: "If there is 'The Old Guard 3,' which obviously we all hope there is, because you know the stage is set. Will fans have to wait as long, do you think? And then also, what would, what do you personally want to explore next with these characters on a hypothetical level?"

Victoria Mahoney: "I'm not in the room. I'm not in that discussion of whether there will be another or not, and this—because, as you mentioned, the duration of this film took me from other projects I have, so I am legally obliged to some other projects. So, I will be for the next six, seven years, on some other jobs. And so someone else will take that mantle in a wonderful, exciting way, and I don't know what they're gonna do, but I know it'll be great, and it'll be fun, and it will be with great regard and care for the audience, and I will be eagerly awaiting it."

While it's unfortunate that Mahoney won't be returning to direct a potential threequel, it gives the drama franchise a chance to explore more collaboration with other filmmakers. 

The Old Guard 2 marked Victoria Mahoney's first feature film directing effort. She replaced Gina Prince-Bythewood, who directed The Old Guard. Most of Mahoney's directing gigs were on TV, with her credits including Suits LA, Grey's Anatomy, and The Morning Show. The Old Guard 2 is set to premiere on Netflix on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. The film stars Charlize Teron (who portrayed the MCU's Clea in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), Uma Thurman, Henry Golding, Kiki Layne, Marwan Kenzari, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. 

How The Old Guard 2 Could Set up a Threequel  

The Old Guard 2 is set to expand the mythology surrounding the immortals due to the arrival of Henry Golding's Tuah, an immortal even older than Andy. In another exclusive interview with The Direct, Golding said that one of his big hopes for his character in The Old Guard 2 is to answer more questions viewers may have about the immortals: 

Henry Golding: I think what people were left asking after watching the first film was like, what is the story with the immortals? Where did they originate from? What is the reason why they exist? And these are some of the questions that Tuah has been mulling on for the past, sort of millennial odd. So he's really taken it upon himself as being one of the older immortals of existence to try to answer those questions.

And the only person that really knows that he sort of exists is Andy. And so he comes out during a really critical point in which you know the immortals existence is at risk, and to give as much sort of information as possible.

So, he's navigating this reality of not being this solo character anymore and being integrated into this group, this family, and I think there's a bit of trepidation in whether or not he's going to be welcomed, or whether or not he's going to get along with everybody, but I think he finds his place, and he finds his use, because everybody has such a strong usefulness within the group. So, I think his fears really are if he can be a part of it. 

It is widely expected that not all questions about the immortals will be answered in The Old Guard 2, and some of these unanswered queries could carry over into a potential threequel. 

Given the dangerous and treacherous nature of The Old Guard 2's villain, Discord, Andy (having lost her immortality in the first film) has her work cut out for her. In the end, she could sacrifice herself for her team to defeat their powerful foe, meaning that a threequel could pave the way for someone else like Kiki Layne's Nile or Marwan Kenzari's Joe (aka the glue guy of the team) to take over leadership duties. 

Meanwhile, the sinister return of Andy's longtime ally-turned-enemy, Quynh (Ngô Thanh Vân), who was trapped in an underwater prison for centuries, is also an interesting narrative avenue to explore in The Old Guard 3. While it is confirmed that she will be teaming up with Discord in the sequel, it's possible that The Old Guard 2 could only serve as a proper setup for Quynh to become the big bad, leading to her horrific takeover once the threequel is confirmed.