Despite fan excitement, The Old Guard 3 faces a creative shift as director Mahoney exits

While Netflix has yet to officially confirm The Old Guard 3, there's already a key update about the third installment: part 2 director Victoria Mahony wouldn't be working on it. Mahoney took over from BAFTA-nominated Gina Prince-Bythewood to direct the second movie, which premiered on Netflix on Wednesday, July 2, 2025.

Per Mahoney, someone will be taking over from her to direct the third film in the franchise. In an exclusive interview with The Direct, published on July 1, the director was asked about what she wanted to explore in the story if The Old Guard 3 were to be given a green light. The Old Guard 2 director said that she's "not in the room," adding:

"I'm not in that discussion of whether there will be another or not, and this—because, as you mentioned, the duration of this film took me from projects I have, so I am legally obliged to some other projects."

Victoria Mahoney explained that someone else will take the mantle of directing The Old Guard 3, while she works on her other projects for the next six to seven years. Charlize Theron returned to star in The Old Guard 2 alongside KiKi Layne and Matthias Schoenaerts.

While the first movie remains to have a certified freshness rating of 80% on Rotten Tomatoes after five years, the sequel didn't fare well in the critics' eyes. At the time of writing, the second movie only has a 28% score after 39 reviews.

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Star and director are hopeful for The Old Guard 3 movie

As previously mentioned, there are still no official updates from Netflix on whether there's going to be The Old Guard 3. However, that hasn't stopped the franchise's star and the Part 2 director from sharing their hopes that the streaming giant will green-light a third entry. Victoria Mahoney had already removed herself from the equation, but she said in an interview with Entertainment Weekly on July 2, 2025:

"I don't know what's going on outside this room. So I have no idea [if there's The Old Guard 3]. I hope for it, and I hope that audiences get it."

She added that while she's not going to be part of the third entry, if it were to happen, she's rooting for everyone who will be part of the project. Mahoney only has good things to say about the franchise's future. She told The Direct:

"I don't know what they're gonna do, but I know it'll be great, and it'll be fun, and it will be with great regard and care for the audience, and I will be eagerly awaiting it."

As for the franchise's star, Charlize Theron, who plays Andy in The Old Guard 2, she shared the same hopeful sentiment. However, she explained that they did the second film the same way they did the first movie, saying:

"We never ended the first one thinking we were going to do a second, but that was just how it happened to be."

With that said, Theron explained that while there's continuity between the first and the second movies, she has "absolutely no idea" what the third movie is going to look like.

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While waiting for news and updates on whether The Old Guard 3 is a go, The Old Guard 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.