The film that stars Charlize Theron is an adaptation of Greg Rucka's comic book

‘The Old Guard’, a trip to Morocco through Netflix

photo_camera PHOTO/AIMEE SPINKS/NETFLIX vía AP - This image published by Netflix shows Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlize Theron and Luca Marinelli in a scene from 'The Old Guard'

"I've been here before. Over and over again. And the same question always comes up: Is this the last one?" This is how 'The Old Guard' begins, a film starring Charlize Theron that captures the essence of Morocco, where the team worked hand in hand with different local artists. 

The film tells the story of four immortal warriors who have been protecting humanity for centuries. However, their main strength is also their greatest weakness. Their strange gifts for achieving immortality mean that this group is really threatened. Based on the acclaimed graphic novel by Greg Rucka and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, 'The Old Guard' is an action story, full of intrigue, that shows us that living forever can be much more complicated than it seems. 

La directora Gina Prince-Bythewood, en el centro, con el actor Luca Marinelli, a la derecha, durante el rodaje de ‘La vieja guardia’

Charlize Theron, Kiki Layne, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Harry Melling and Van Veronica Ngo bring to life the main characters of this exciting story, which arrived to Netflix less than a week ago. Since then this film has managed to position itself in the top 10 of the best rated films within this platform. 

The Alaouite kingdom appears repeatedly throughout the film. And not only that, but Marrakech was also used as a setting for the scenes in Afghanistan and other enclaves. Among the most striking places are the El Fenn hotel, the Berber village of Obaki on the Plateau du Kik (a region in the Atlas mountains), as well as the market of Jemaa el-Fnaa, or the locations of Tamansourt, Harbil, Tayzelt, the Agafay desert, Boukhriss or Kettara.

Charlize Theron en una escena de ‘La vieja guardia’

During the production process, Netflix partnered with several local artists such as Ahmed Rafaat, an Egyptian artist, who redesigned the poster in collaboration with the management team to highlight the essence of some emblematic locations in Morocco such as the Jemaa el-Fnaa market. It is in this square - the most important place in the medina - that much of Marrakech's public life takes place, both by day and by night.  This place is a clear reflection of the magic of transformation, of the power that certain cities have to be completely different depending on the time of day you visit them. In these times, when it is so complicated to travel due to the restrictions established to prevent the spread of the coronavirus- 'The Old Guard' is one of the best ways to discover the natural, historical and cultural treasures hidden in the so-called red city. 

The cast of this film has the name of great actors or actresses like Charlize Theron, a South African actress who became famous after participating in major productions like ''The Devil's Advocate'' (1997), ''My Great Friend Joe'' (1998) and ''The Cider House Rules'' (1999), among others. In 2003 Theron became the first African woman to receive the Oscar for best actress, for her performance in the film 'Monster'. 

Esta imagen publicada por Netflix muestra, desde la izquierda, a Marwan Kenzari, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlize Theron, Luca Marinelli y Kiki Layne en una escena de ‘La vieja guardia’

The new adaptation of Netflix has shown us that there is life beyond Marvel or DC and that not all superheroes wear capes. Three years ago, Skydance Media acquired the rights to adapt the comic book of the same name, written by Greg Rucka and illustrated by the famous Argentinean artist Leandro Fernández. Thus, Prince-Bythewood - known for directing films such as 'Love & Basketball' (2000), 'The Secret Life of Bees' (2008) or 'Beyond the Lights' (2014) - has become the first black woman to direct a big-budget film based on a comic book. 

The main characters in this film have the power to survive any kind of attack and live forever. However, their life stories are a clear reminder that there are tortures far more cruel than death. How do you go unnoticed through the shadows of history? What danger does immortality hide? Throughout the two hours of this film we will find answers to some of these complex questions. In short, the contrast between life and death or the ephemeral and eternity are the main characters of this science fiction film that has come to Netflix to make history.​​​​​​​

Here you can watch the trailer of this movie:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK-X2d0lJ_s

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