The Old Guard 2 filming is halted as fire breaks out at Cinecittà Studios

Deadline reports that Netflix has briefly halted the production of The Old Guard 2 after a fire broke out at the film studio where the movie has been shooting; Rome, Italy’s historic Cinecittà Studios. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like this fire is going to cause much trouble for Cinecittà Studios or for The Old Guard 2 in the long run.

A Cinecittà Studios spokesperson has confirmed that the fire was under control, due to the efforts of three fire-fighting teams, and that no serious damage had been done to the site. The main thing to be destroyed was an old set depicting Renaissance Florence, which was already in the process of being dismantled. The source of the fire hasn’t been determined yet, but Europe has seen record-breaking temperatures this summer and is about to get hit by another heatwave, so “the threat of fires spinning out of control is particularly acute” at this time.

The Old Guard cast members Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthias Schoenaerts, Veronica Ngo, Luca Marinelli, and Marwan Kenzari are back for The Old Guard 2, which is being directed by Victoria Mahoney, who has previously directed episodes of multiple TV shows, including You and Lovecraft Country, and was also the second unit director on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. 

Based on a graphic novel series created by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández, The Old Guard was scripted by Rucka and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. The film introduced viewers to

a covert group of tight-knit mercenaries with a mysterious inability to die who have fought to protect the mortal world for centuries. 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, 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.

Rucka wrote the screenplay for the sequel and serves as executive producer. The Old Guard 2 is being produced by David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger of Skydance, Theron, Beth Kono, and AJ Dix of Denver and Delilah, and Marc Evans of Marc Evans Productions. Prince-Bythewood is also on board as producer.

The cast of The Old Guard 2 also includes Henry Golding and Uma Thurman.

Founded in 1937, Cinecittà Studios has been a filming location for historic productions like Ben Hur and Federico Fellini’s Dolce Vita. In 2007, another fire at the studio’s warehouses destroyed props and scenery for the TV series Rome.