And I love the direction they’ve taken in the last few years- Black Panther, Logan, where they were more action-dramas, with all the elements you love in an action film, yet I cried at the end of both. Did you come to Greg Rucka’s comic book first, or the script? Sims: Usually you write your films, but this is the first you aren’t a credited screenwriter on. So we were up at three in the morning to listen to it live. But then Dustin and Hauschka created a beautiful score-it just so happened was in Iceland, in the world that had an orchestra that was allowed to play. So it was figuring out looping, color-timing, and mixing all of that is such an intimate process! Our score was going to have to be electronic, which was horrifying to me. We ended up having everyone put their equipment in their homes literally on a Monday, and by the end of the week we were in full shutdown. Prince-Bythewood: We were ready to lock the film when hit. Sims: Have you been doing a lot of the post-production remotely? I had the benefit of having to finish this film, so that gave me something to focus on, creatively. I know a lot of artists are struggling with what to do in this moment. Gina Prince-Bythewood: Oh, you know, the combination of a global pandemic and a national reckoning takes an emotional toll! But I think important things are finally happening, both in the country and in Hollywood. This conversation has been edited for length and clarity. I spoke with Prince-Bythewood about seeking out action projects, the dearth of female and Black filmmakers in the blockbuster space, and doing post-production at home. The director’s deep affection for every member of the ensemble helps the film stand out, as does the impressively intense and gory action, which delights in the magical healing powers of the group. The Old Guard loses nothing by painting on a wider canvas. Prince-Bythewood is known for her exceptional attention to detail, but her prior films were smaller-scale and focused on just a few characters in great depth. marine who’s wounded in battle and discovers that she has fantastical healing abilities-in addition to being functionally unkillable (though there are a few exceptions to that rule). The new recruit, Nile (KiKi Layne), is a U.S. The Old Guard focuses on Andy (played by Charlize Theron), a 6,000-year-old warrior, but it’s an ensemble piece that digs into the strange family dynamics of a team that’s been fighting together for centuries. The resulting film, which hits Netflix tomorrow, is the best action movie of the year so far-a crisply made, globe-trotting adventure about a group of immortals who recruit a new member to their team while doing battle with someone trying to steal their powers. She was attached to a Sony/Marvel project called Silver & Black that took place in the Spider-Man universe, but after that fell apart, she moved on to another comic-book property, a grittier series created by Greg Rucka called The Old Guard. But for years she’s craved the scope of a blockbuster action film, the type that studios and audiences gravitate toward in this franchise-stuffed era. The writer and director has made three excellent films set in very different spheres: the coming-of-age masterpiece Love & Basketball, the 1960s-set drama The Secret Life of Bees, and the glittery superstar romance Beyond the Lights. Until then, bring on the action, 2020.Gina Prince-Bythewood has never been afraid of tackling new genres. Does Maverick still have it? Check on those box office stats in June to find out. It’s also the year for Tom Cruise to resurrect his famous 1980s pilot role as Maverick in Top Gun. This year also gives us a new host of action-superheroes, in addition to allowing Game of Thrones actors to take on new roles that are just as bad-ass. We love to see an old hero return back to the screen and to hear a familiar grizzled voice talk about duty, purpose, and saving the world. Above all, this year’s action movie lineup drives home one thing that American audiences really love: remakes of popular films from the 1980s and ’90s. So let's escape into some action movies this year, where it's clear that this will be a year of Vin Diesel, a new CGI dog, a live-action version of Mulan, and another chance for Daniel Craig to show off his best sultry James Bond voice. No, we want our action to be entertaining, and, more importantly, fictional. But, that's not the type of action that's in any way enjoyable. There's nothing boring about a year that kicked off with impeachment drama, a long election preamble, and a possible pandemic.
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