Since The Old Guard 2 is the latest of 2025 Netflix releases to reach No. 1 on the streaming service’s top movie list, it’s time to talk about that cliffhanger ending, and what it could mean for a possible sequel, isn’t it? CinemaBlend got a chance to talk to director Victoria Mahoney about how the action movie leaves its characters, and how it was decided to leave things open for the story to continue.
The first The Old Guard movie brought us some much-needed summer action in the year 2020 when theaters were closed. After Gina Prince-Bythewood passed off the director duties to Victoria Mahoney, who also served as second-unit director on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, The Old Guard 2 is finally here five years after the original to catch us up on the lives of Andy and her fellow immortal friends, as well as a new enemy in the form Uma Thurman’s Discord. But what does the ending mean for all the main characters and the future of the franchise?
What Happens At The End Of The Old Guard 2?
Charlize Theron’s mullet-wearing Andy leading her team to save millions by disarming a set of bombs set off by Discord and Veronica Ngô’s Quỳnh. In the process, Matthias Schoenaerts’ Booker sacrifices his immortality to give to Andy, just before the newly-mortal man ends up dying while fighting off some guards. KiKi Layne’s Nile, who we find out in this film has the power to make other immortals mortal by injuring them, strikes Quynh (making her mortal) before Discord captures Nile and other members of the Old Guard.
Netflix subscription now. We don’t know if Discord will be successful in her attempt to use the Old Guard to become immortal, but she’s very close to accomplishing her goal. Even though Booker had a sprawling death scene, Mahoney even made it a point to leave some room for more from his storyline should the next movie choose to go there.
Why Andy And Quynh Are Working Together Again At The End Of The Old Guard 2
During our interview, I was certainly curious about the specific decision to have Andy and Quynh reconcile at the very end of the movie, and what Mahoney’s intentions were there after Quynh initially is very angry with Andy. Here’s what she had to say:
The cliffhanger and the way that it is was a group decision. We had obviously different thoughts and different discussions along the way. And, Skydance propelled the wish for, not that it was lighthearted, but, hopeful I want to say. I don’t wanna put words in their mouth because it was specific and it helped navigate us towards this ending.
Now this makes a lot of sense. The character of Quynh is a pretty dark one considering she has experienced death after death across 500 years before she was finally fished out of the water by Discord. While the end of the movie leaves a lot of characters in a distressing place, Mahoney really wanted there to be some levity for Quynh and Andy. As she explained:
I really loved and wanted Quỳnh coming back, because I felt like we’ve returned her to the movie…. And all these tragic things happen and it’s like, but the audience is gonna say, ‘Well what you brought her back for all this horrible shit? And, in a century that she doesn’t even know what a cell phone is. Now, she’s just lost wandering the earth by herself? So, the idea that her existence in the film at all would equate to these two from way back are gonna go save the day. I find that really exciting.
Quỳnh woke up incredibly disappointed in Andy for not looking for her longer than she did, but by the end of The Old Guard 2, it seems she starts to realize that it’s better to spend her days with someone she loves rather than hold a grudge. But the reconciliation wasn’t without some miscommunication and soreness from the pair. I do have to wonder if another movie could end with more tragedy between the pair considering Quynh is no longer immortal and Andy is. It would be diabolical if Discord killed her in front of Andy, but I wouldn’t put it past the villain.
Are There Plans For The Old Guard 3?
Now, The Old Guard 2 is based on the comic book series by Greg Rucka, who also wrote the script for this movie. The comic book story is told across 16 issues, so there’s definitely more to tell on his end. But as Mahoney told us, as a director, she didn’t end The Old Guard 2 with specifics of the next movie in mind – herself anyway. In her words:
I won’t be there in the third film. I’m on other projects and stuff. So, I don’t know what they’re gonna do. I don’t know what’s going next, but I did want to help set up for whoever comes next [and] the possibility of whatever they wanna do.
That’d likely be a question for screenwriter Greg Rucka, but Mahoney could tell us for sure that she wouldn’t be helming the next installment herself. I do wonder, after the underwhelming critical response for The Old Guard 2 (along with a low audience score on Rotten Tomatoes), if we’ll get another movie at all, but I don’t imagine the filmmakers would set up a cliffhanger if they are not prepared to deliver on another movie.
I imagine whether it gets the greenlight could be affected by how streaming numbers do in coming weeks! As far as Mahoney’s involvement goes, she boarded The Old Guard 2 in 2021 and originally filmed the movie in 2022 before reshoots took place in late 2024, so it’s certainly understandable she’d want to spend her time on other creative endeavors. We’ll keep you updated here on CinemaBlend as we hear about any developments.