Charlize Theron might be the biggest action star in the world right now, and Netflix is claiming massive numbers (at least 72 million within weeks of its release) for The Old Guard, which seems destined to have a sequel, but it’s only a question of when that will happen. Now, director Gina Prince-Bythewood (who became the first Black woman to helm a comic-book movie for Hollywood) reveals that there was a lot more (virtual) butt-kicking going on behind the scenes to get the film ready for streaming.
As Prince-Bythewood reveals, the post-production team for The Old Guard was around 85% female. That’s incredible for any high-profile movie, let alone an adrenaline-fueled action picture, and as the director pointed out, this certainly “doesn’t happen, or very rarely happens on any movie, but on an action film, I guarantee you that’s never happened before.”
The post-production crew included frequent Prince-Bythewood collaborator Terilyn A. Shropshire, who became the first Black woman to edit a Hollywood comic-book movie, as well as Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Sara Bennett (Ex Machina), supervisor Hayley Williams (Annihilation, so there are two Alex Garland films looking even better than previously right about now), costume designer Mary Vogt (Crazy Rich Asians), and cinematographer Tami Reiker.
The news arrives after Chiwetel Ejiofor already called the movie an “important marker” for inclusive stories, and it seems that Netflix is committed to significant inclusion behind the scenes as well. Even better news: an example-setting franchise has been born.
(Via Hollywood Reporter)