‘The Old Guard’ Interview: Gina Prince-Bythewood And Kiki Layne On Their Immortal Action Flick, Diversity, And That Huge Fight Scene

The Old Guard is a superhero movie…but then, not quite. The film by director Gina Prince-Bythewood follows a group of immortal warriors who have been fighting the good fight for millennia, only now in the present they find their long lives threatened like never before. At the same time, a new member of their small circle has been found, and adapting her to her new life is proving very dangerous.

The film is an adaptation of Greg Rucka’s graphic novel, and stars Charlize Theron, Kiki Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and more. My review went up last week and I’ve been blown away by the response. Not necessarily to my review, but by the anticipation people have for this movie. Part of the reason, I’m sure, is the lack of big blockbuster movies in the time of COVID-19, but also because people know to expect only the best from Prince-Bythewood.

The film’s diverse casting has also caught the eye of a lot of people, and that’s something I wanted to speak with Prince-Bythewood and Layne about in the interview I had with them yesterday. Not only did we discuss the movie’s diverse array of characters, which includes a young black woman and Marine, a Belgian man, plus Middle Eastern and Italian men who have been lovers across the ages.

I had the chance to talk with Layne about what it was like to take on her first big action movie, and to have an epic throwdown with Theron, arguably the top action star in the world. And what about sequels? Would they be willing to come back for more if Netflix came calling?

In case you can’t tell, The Old Guard is a movie I dig a lot. Listen to my interview with Gina Prince-Bythewood and Kiki Layne below! And then check out the movie on Netflix today!

Listen to “THE OLD GUARD Interview: Gina Prince-Bythewood And Kiki Layne On Their Immortal Action Flick” on Spreaker.

Travis Hopson
Travis Hopson has been reviewing movies before he even knew there was such a thing. Having grown up on a combination of bad '80s movies, pro wrestling, comic books, and hip-hop, Travis is uniquely positioned to geek out on just about everything under the sun. A vampire who walks during the day and refuses to sleep, Travis is the co-creator and lead writer for Punch Drunk Critics. He is also a contributor to Good Morning Washington, WBAL Morning News, and WETA Around Town. In the five minutes a day he's not working, Travis is also a voice actor, podcaster, and Twitch gamer. Travis is a voting member of the Critics Choice Association (CCA), Washington DC Area Film Critics Association (WAFCA), and Late Night programmer for the Lakefront Film Festival.