Charlize Theron-Led The Old Guard Features Queer Male Romance

The action flick stars Theron as a centuries-old warrior who leads a team that continually saves humanity.

Tracy E. Gilchrist

Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.

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Tracy E. Gilchrist

May 22 2020 3:58 PM EST

May 22 2020 4:03 PM EST

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A far cry from her role as former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly in Bombshell, Charlize Theron is back in action in the upcoming Netflix film The Old Guard from director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball, Beyond the Lights), and the trailer has just dropped. While Theron as an action star (Mad Max: Fury Road, Atomic Blonde) is always worth watching, the film also features a centuries-old same-sex romance between Nicky (Luca Marinelli) and Yusuf (Marwan Kenzari). The men exchange a knowing glance in a scene in the trailer, but it mostly zeroes in on Theron's Andy and the group she leads that protects humanity.

The official synopsis reads:

"Led by a warrior named Andy, a covert group of tight-knit mercenaries with a mysterious inability to die have fought to protect the mortal world for centuries. But when the team is recruited to take on an emergency mission and their extraordinary abilities are suddenly exposed, it's up to Andy and Nile (KiKi Layne), the newest soldier to join their ranks, to help the group eliminate the threat of those who seek to replicate and monetize their power by any means necessary."

The film is based on the graphic novel by Greg Rucka and features Chiwetel Ejiofor and Matthias Schoenaerts. Layne, who plays a significant role, has previously starred in If Beale Street Could Talk and Native Son.