In an essay hidden in the back of The old guard: multiplied strength # 1 – the second volume of a comic that is now an acclaimed action movie on Netflix – writer Greg Rucka explained that this story of a group of almost immortal warriors was born from “this woman who lives in my head without paying rent, this proto “Amazonian warrior who had walked for millennia without dying for any reason”.
Finally, that strange warrior woman found her way in a story, which Rucka brought to the artist Leandro Fernández, and The old guard It was released by Image Comics in early 2017. Now, it’s a movie directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood from Rucka’s own script, and starring Charlize Theron as Andromache “Andy” from Scythia, the proto-Amazonian warrior who came out of her head. . Speaking to SYFY WIRE about what it was like to witness that trip, Rucka described the moment. The old guard The movie came true for him.
“Our producer on the film, Marc Evans, sent in a photo in March 2019 of the costume and makeup test day, which I assume had, for the first time, all the actors dressed up in their gear and wearing makeup,” recalls Rucka. . “Everyone posed for this photo more or less in the exact posture and position that Leandro had drawn them on one of his team poster pieces. At that point, I remember receiving that image and saying, ‘Oh my gosh’ and laughing and wanting to show it to everyone, and of course not being able to show it to anyone but my wife. “
For Rucka, seeing his band of nearly invincible mercenaries marching across the screen isn’t the end of the story, but it’s a kind of culmination built after years of developing the story and crafting the first volume of the comic. Although he now admits he can’t pinpoint the exact moment the idea came to him, Rucka recalls Fernández, who also worked with him on his acclaimed spy series. Queen and country – It was always his first option to bring it to life.
“He was the first person I thought about collaborating, and he was the only person I called,” says Rucka. “He indicated that everything he was saying was interested in drawing. I think the historical aspect, in particular, the opportunity to jump into history, was a great attraction.”
To draw The old guardFernández had to start with Andy, a millennial warrior from the ancient world, and then weave a couple of warriors who fought on opposite sides in the Crusades and eventually became lovers, a rogue from the Napoleonic Wars and a fight by the Navy of the USA to accept their new immortality. Their varied backgrounds had to be different, but their combined appearance must also exist in the present. It was a challenge that Fernandez enjoyed, and that’s how we got certain instantly recognizable factors like Nicky’s Crossed Sword and, of course, Andy’s beloved circular ax.
“I drank [the project] from the beginning with the idea of making them especially different from each other, with a particularly strong personality. In trying to make them look good, I wanted them to be easily recognizable because we could see them at different periods in history with different clothes and different hairstyles, and there would be different situations, “explains Fernández.
“They are warriors,” he continues. “Sometimes they will be in the mud, covered in blood, in different situations that need them to be recognizable. That is on one side, and on the other side is that I wanted them to have a very strong personality, as I said. Greg came up with the idea of making them use their preferred weapon, which makes a very unique and distinguishable image for this particular group of warriors, even today. We work for that with that in mind, and that is what we can see in the comics and the movie too. “
Fernández’s efforts to give each team member a different look, as well as a distinctive weapon, were replicated by Prince-Bythewood and his team for the film, and Fernández himself even managed to make a rather artistic cameo. During the scene in which Joe sketches the Nile after the team shared a dream about it, Fernández’s art appears on the page, and it’s his hands that make the drawing.
When writing the script, which is very much a direct adaptation of The old guard: opening fire with some elements of Force multiplied – Rucka considered it important to focus on what the film could do that the comic couldn’t do, specifically in terms of developing the relationship between Andy and Nile. With the opportunity to tell his story in a new format, he found that particular dynamic even more vital.
“The only [change from comic to film] what I’m going to immediately that is not spoilery is the depth and time we can give Nile and Andy after their meeting, “says Rucka.” In the comic, the trip to Paris from Afghanistan is two pages long, and it’s mostly filled with subtitle dialogue that, in terms of history, provides the necessary information, but it’s mostly expository. In the movie, that journey takes much longer, because we filmed it. It is not a montage. And because we’re witnessing it, it becomes vital for every character, particularly Nile. In the comic, it wasn’t ignored, but its presence in the comic has less to do with the plot than it does with storytelling. In the film, her entire journey is at the heart of the story, right next to Andy. So being able to do that is a huge improvement for me, no doubt. “
Although Rucka wrote the script and Fernández’s art greatly influenced the look and feel of the film, none of the creators had any direct input on the cast of the Prince-Bythewood film. Still, when they started hearing the names and seeing the faces, led by Theron like Andy and KiKi Layne like Nile, they couldn’t help but feel encouraged.
“We didn’t have anyone especially in mind that we wanted to work with. We wanted to work with someone unique in each character,” says Fernández. “When we found out and started hearing about the casting direction we weren’t involved in, it was all good news. We couldn’t ask for more. It started with Charlize in the lead role. She is an Oscar winner actress with a great dramatic acting. And at the same time, she’s an action actress. I mean, she literally kick ass. “
He also praises the rest of the “incredible” cast: Layne’s Nile, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Copley, Luca Marinelli as Nicky, Marwan Kenzari, as Joe, Matthias Schoenaerts as Booker, Harry Melling as Merrick. “We couldn’t ask for more,” he says.
Of course, Rucka’s expanded version of the story in the script, the influence of Fernández’s art, and the impeccable cast could have gone nowhere if not for the right filmmaker. In that regard, Rucka says, he and his co-creator had particular luck with Gina Prince-Bythewood, who paid special attention not only to the comic book images, but also to the overall emotional aura of The old guard.
“One of the things that Gina made very clear from the moment we met was that she wanted more than anything to make sure that at the end of the day, the heart and soul of the source material was evident,” says Rucka. “I think it is stamped throughout the film. It is an extraordinary respect that she gave us. Seeing her direct the film with an eye towards the way that Leandro himself composed his shots and his panels, in the palette that Leandro and Daniela Miwa used to use ” Color the book, it’s the most sincere form of flattery I can think of. And Gina clearly cared every day at every step that, for everything else that was happening, and there was a lot going on in the story and the production and just the act of making a movie, that was always on her mind. “
Although the film adaptation of The old guard Designed as a relatively independent story, with some teasing of what the future holds for its characters, the Rucka and Fernández comic will continue beyond the first part of the narrative. The last number of the second volume, Force multiplied, will be released by Image Comics this month, and Rucka has already indicated that he plans to end the story with a third volume, creating a trilogy of graphic novels. With that in mind, will we see a Old guard sequel on Netflix one day?
“Look, it would be absolutely dishonest to say that we did not include a ‘break glass’ scene in the movie. It is very easy to light that fuse and move on to a second story. However, for me, only personally, this is very important: it is not contingent, “says Rucka. “This is not a movie where, when it’s over, the audience is silent: ‘Oh great, now I have to wait two years for the next one. You don’t need another movie to finish the story. I’m very grateful for that. So if the movie succeeds, there will be discussions about a sequel, I’m sure. Right now, I’m not aware of any future discussions or any plans to do so. I certainly believe right now, from all I hear, that Netflix is pretty happy with the movie they got, so I guess it will be a question of whether or not people are happy with the movie Netflix is showing them, and that will be the deciding factor. “
So if you are happy with The old guard, now would be the time to let Netflix know.
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