Netflix have secured the rights to Gina Prince-Bythewood‘s female-fronted action film, The Old Guard. Based on the comic book series by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández, the film will star Charlize Theron and KiKi Layne. Rucka will adapt his own work and write the screenplay.
The Old Guard tells the story of a small, covert group of immortal mercenaries who must fight to keep their team together when they discover the existence of a new immortal – a young black woman in Afghanistan – and their extraordinary abilities are exposed.
The characters aren’t described as superheroes; they are just people who have honed their military skills through decades of trial and mastery. They can still bleed and feel pain, but cannot die.
This will mark Prince-Bythewood’s first film since 2014’s Beyond The Lights. She was set to direct the superhero movie Silver & Black, before it was split into two separate films. Theron has a history of playing strong female roles, most recently in Mad Max: Fury Road and Atomic Blonde. Layne just broke out thanks to her role in If Beale Street Could Talk.
With the streaming wars heating up, it’s a no-brainer for Netflix to acquire any project with potential right now, and a comic adaptation starring Theron and Layne is an easy sell for most subscribers.
#Peace.Love.TheOldGuard
