Charlize Theron protects the mortal world in new trailer for The Old Guard

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

An immortal Charlize Theron wielding a battle-axe; that's pretty much all I need to know about THE OLD GUARD. The upcoming Netflix film based upon the comic series by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez, finds Theron starring as Andy, aka Andromache the Scythian, an immortal warrior who has led other immortals throughout the centuries. Netflix has released a new trailer for the film, which is full of brief snippets of battles throughout history and bad-ass action.

As the trailer tells us, it's a little harder to avoid detection in the 21st century than the rest of history, and Andy and her fellow immortals are soon targeted by mysterious enemies who are eager to unlock the secrets of their immortality. Although much of the team have been together for centuries, their newest recruit is a U.S. Marine named Nile played by KiKi Layne. Andy becomes something of a reluctant mentor to Niles, as the two bond over the loneliness which immortality brings. "Most people can’t relate to slinging a giant sword around [and] really messing people up," Layne said. "But people can relate to experiencing loss, or experiencing something that changed the trajectory of their life." Director Gina Prince-Bythewood added that the two characters are "warriors" and that she wanted "to be able to reframe what it means to be female with this film and make that a normal thing: our toughness and badassness and courage. To normalize that was really important to me."

The official synopsis for THE OLD GUARD:

Led by a warrior named Andy (Charlize Theron), a covert group of tight-knit mercenaries with a mysterious inability to die have fought to protect the mortal world for centuries. But when the team is recruited to take on an emergency mission and their extraordinary abilities are suddenly exposed, it’s up to Andy and Nile (KiKi Layne), the newest soldier to join their ranks, to help the group eliminate the threat of those who seek to replicate and monetize their power by any means necessary. Based on the acclaimed graphic novel by Greg Rucka and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (LOVE & BASKETBALL, BEYOND THE LIGHTS), THE OLD GUARD is a gritty, grounded, action-packed story that shows living forever is harder than it looks.

THE OLD GUARD will debut on Netflix on July 10, 2020.