According to Deadline, Academy Award-nominated actor Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave, Doctor Strange) has signed on to join the cast of Skydance and Netflix‘s upcoming action fantasy film The Old Guard. In addition to Ejiofor, Harry Melling (The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs) and Veronica Ngo (Bright) have also been cast in the adaptation.
The trio join previously announced cast membersCharlize Theron (Monster, Mad Max: Fury Road) as Andromache of Scythia, Marwan Kenzari (Aladdin) as Yusuf Al-Kaysani, Kiki Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk) as Niles Freeman, Matthias Schoenaerts (Red Sparrow) as Sebastian le Livre and Luca Marinelli (Trust) as Nicolo di Genova.
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The Old Guard tells of a small group of soldiers, led by a woman named Andy (Theron), who are inexplicably immortal and have been working as mercenaries through the ages. The novelty of not dying long gone, the group gets a jolt in their bones when they discover the existence of a new immortal, a black woman serving in the Marines, at the same time as a nefarious organization captures their undying actions on camera.
Skydance previously ordered the adaptation in July signed Gina Prince-Blythewood to helm the project. Prince-Blythewood is most well-known for writing and directing the acclaimed romantic drama Beyond the Lights and who previously worked in the comic book industry by directing the pilot for Freeform’s Cloak and Dagger.
The Old Guard was created by Greg Rucka and artist Leandro Fernandez and tells the story of old soldiers who never die…and yet cannot seem to fade away. Trapped in an immortality without explanation, Andromache of Scythia—”Andy”—and her comrades ply their trade for those who can find—and afford—their services. But in the 21st century, immortality is a hard secret to keep, and when you live long enough, you learn that there are many fates worse than death.
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Rucka will be making his feature screenplay debut with the adaptation, having previously helped script the 2008 DC Animated Universe film Batman: Gotham Knight, while having his and Steve Lieber’s graphic novel Whiteout adapted into a 2009 film of the same name starring Kate Beckinsale (Underworld), which was a critical and commercial disaster.
David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and Don Granger of Skydance are set to produce. Marc Evans, Theron and her Denver and Delilah principals Beth Kono and AJ Dlx will also produce. Stan Wlodkowski and Rucka will serve as executive producers.
