The sequel to Netflix’s The Old Guard got a surprising and exciting update, and it’s also good news for a forgotten but more successful action movie also led by Charlize Theron. In 2020, Charlize Theron continued to show her skills in the action genre with the superhero film The Old Guard. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and based on the comic book of the same name by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández, The Old Guard became one of Netflix’s most popular movies of 2020, as well as a critical success.

The Old Guard follows Andromache of Scythia a.k.a. Andy (Theron), Booker, Joe, and Nicky, who are centuries-old mercenaries with mysterious regenerative healing abilities, which combined with their experience and skills as mercenaries, allow them to help people. However, when someone discovers their secret, they must fight to protect their freedom. The success of The Old Guard was such that a sequel was greenlit the following year, and it has now been confirmed to be in post-production, which gives hope for another action movie led by Theron to finally get out of development hell.

Atomic Blonde 2 Has Been In Development At Netflix Since 2020

Charlize Theron as Lorraine at a bar smoking in Atomic Blonde.

Atomic Blonde 2 was announced to be in development at Netflix in 2020, but there haven’t been substantial updates since then.

hree years before The Old Guard’s release, Theron starred in another action movie based on existing media: Atomic Blonde. Directed by David Leitch and based on the 2012 graphic novel The Coldest City, by Antony Johnston and Sam Hart, Atomic Blonde takes the audience back to 1989 to meet Lorraine Broughton (Theron), a top-level MI6 field agent. Lorraine is sent on a mission to Berlin before the collapse of the wall to retrieve a stolen list with the names of various double agents, but it’s obviously not an easy or smooth mission.

Atomic Blonde was a critical and commercial success, so talks about a potential sequel emerged right away. In May 2018, Theron revealed an Atomic Blonde sequel was in development, with Leitch confirming it in July 2019 (via /Film). In 2020, Atomic Blonde 2 was announced to be in development over at Netflix with Theron also serving as a producer. However, there haven’t been substantial updates since then, and even though there’s a sequel novel Atomic Blonde 2 can be based on, the project seems to be stuck in development hell.

How The Old Guard 2 Can Finally Make Atomic Blonde 2 Happen

The Old Guard Charlize Theron

Netflix has proof that there’s interest in well-built action movies with Charlize Theron as the lead.

The Old Guard and The Old Guard 2 were produced by the same team behind Atomic Blonde, and The Old Guard 2 moved forward a lot faster than Atomic Blonde’s sequel, despite Atomic Blonde being a bigger success. The Old Guard 2 has already been shot and it’s in the last stage of post-production, but according to cast member Matthias Schoenaerts (via Collider), its release has been delayed due to “a switch at Netflix high up”, which could have also affected the development of Atomic Blonde 2 – but if The Old Guard 2 has made it so far, there’s hope for Atomic Blonde 2 to finally make out of pre-production.

Netflix has proof that there’s interest in well-built action movies with Theron as the lead, and the success of The Old Guard should be enough to pay attention to Atomic Blonde 2. The performance of The Old Guard 2 could be the push that Netflix needs to finally make Atomic Blonde 2 happen even after all these years, seizing the success and interest in Charlize Theron as an action star.