The Old Guard 2

Interview with producer Beth Kono

Film is streaming on Netflix as of July 2.

Describe the film for us in your own words

“The Old Guard 2” is the continuing adventure of a group of immortals who must deal with the blessing and curse of their eternal lives while deeply believing that it is their responsibility to make the world a better place. It’s both a kick-ass female-led action movie and, we hope, an insightful story full of great characters and has something to say.

What drew you to this story?

What drew me most to it was that it had both incredible personal and universal stakes. At the end of the first movie, Charlize’s character, Andy, has found a renewed sense of purpose and come to terms with how she is going to act on that purpose. Here, in the second movie, we all thought about what could test that. What could Andy have to confront that would test her, Nile and everything around her. That’s where bringing Quynh back and Discord into the story came from.

What was the biggest challenge in making this?

We had a few challenges on this one. We had a set burn down the weekend before we were supposed to shoot it. It was the middle of COVID. It was the hottest summer on record in Italy. Sometimes the challenges were monumental, sometimes just irritation. Every shoot is an imperfect experiment not staged in a hermetically-sealed lab. Things happen and you have to be nimble. We were so lucky that our cast and crew were up for any challenge presented.

What do you want people to think about?

First and foremost, we want everyone to be entertained. The action in the movie is fantastic, and we love each and every one of the characters and the extraordinary actors who portray them. They are such a broad and deeply talented group who different audience members, we hope, find themselves in one or more of. I also love how posing the question “would you want to be immortal?” always elicits such vastly different responses. I was out with friends recently when the debate came up and the table was split down the middle, some would absolutely relish it and some think it would be a true curse. It’s a fun topic to explore.

What was the development process? How did you get greenlit?

Netflix has been an incredible partner from the very beginning of the first movie, through its release, and helping to make it a success. There are always budget and script notes from every creative person involved in the process and plenty that we all have to do to actually get greenlit. We had a great partner in Greg Rucka who created the graphic novel along with Leandro Fernandez, the brilliant artist. Greg did the heavy lifting to create the script and then the entire team brought it to life. What was maybe the most edifying, was knowing that the studio always wanted it as much as we did.

What inspired you to become a storyteller

I can’t tell you that there was one single moment that made me want to do it – like a seminal screening when I was a kid or a specific book I read, but can you imagine anything better than being able to help deeply talented people create? I feel lucky to be able to do it every day. I can’t think of anything better.

What’s best and worst advice you’ve received

Best advice: Have an opinion and feel compelled to share that opinion. Really listen when people disagree with you before you respond. Be willing to change your mind. Put your ego aside. Listen and help talented people get things done.

Worst advice: Wear heels to a job interview.

Name your favorite woman directed film and why

It’s so hard to pick just one! I’ll go with one of my more recent favorites, Past Lives. I love what Celine Song did with this movie. It’s so patient and thought provoking and just very real. I was blown away by it.