Charlize Theron on Hanging Off a Helicopter in ‘The Old Guard 2,' Possibility of Third Movie and Why She Hasn't Directed Yet: ‘I Need My Kids to Get Out of the House'
'The helicopter hands down,' she told me at her recent Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Program Block Party fundraiser in Los Angeles. 'We did it towards the end, and I was like, 'Oh, my God, if I pull this off, I'm gonna be okay with never doing a stunt again.' That didn't last long, but it was intricate. It was psychological. The first two weeks of it was sitting down with the pilot and building trust. It was slow moves. But by the end, I was hanging off a helicopter, so who cares?'
More from Variety
'Old Guard 2' Star KiKi Layne on Panic Attacks, Cortisone Shots and Being a Black Female Action Hero: 'All of This Is Much Bigger Than Me'
'Jurassic World Rebirth' Star Manuel Garcia-Rulfo on His Character's 'Sexy' Shorts, Working with 'Hot Motherf--er' Jonathan Bailey and 'Lincoln Lawyer' Season 4
Charlize Theron Says 'Scumbag' Director Made a Sexual Pass at Her, Then 'Wrote a Letter Trying to Explain How I Misunderstood It': 'I Won't Let a Motherf--er F-- With Me'
As she was performing the scene, Theron said, 'I was hanging in the air, going, 'I'm going to never be able to stop saying that I hung off a helicopter.''
The Victoria Mahoney-directed movie, the second installment of the Netflix adaptation of Greg Rucka's comic book, finds the immortals (Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Henry Golding) trying to save mankind from two of their own Discord (franchise newcomer Uma Thurman) and Quỳnh (Veronica Ngô).
A third movie could be on the horizon with the second film ending on a spectacular cliffhanger. In fact, producer Marc Evans told me in May 2023, 'There's an ending to No. 2 that kind of demands a No. 3, which makes me very happy.'
As for now, Theron, who also serves as a producer on the franchise, said, 'We're going to take a break, take a little breather, and then we'll come back and decide.'
Theron, who is next set to start filming Christopher Nolan's 'The Odyssey,' also said she plans to direct one day: 'I've always kind of been interested, but I have young children, and to direct is very all consuming…I need my kids to get out of the house.'
Best of Variety
Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch
Oscar Predictions: Best Picture — Netflix, Neon and Warner Bros Could Dominate Season With 'Frankenstein,' 'Sentimental Value' and 'Sinners'
New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
‘Night at the Museum' Reboot Announced — Fans All Saying the Same Thing
'Night at the Museum' Reboot Announced — Fans All Saying the Same Thing originally appeared on Parade. The popular Night at the Museum movie franchise might be coming back to screens sooner than you think, as a reboot was officially announced to be in the works. According to a report from Variety, a "reimagining" of the story is in development at 20th Century Studios, and it will be an all-new story with new characters in the museum setting. Tripper Clancy, who wrote Stuber and Die Hart, is set to write the script for the new film. 🎬 On social media, fans quickly shared their thoughts on the movie news, with almost everyone in agreement that they want reboots to stop. "Just stop it already Hollywood," said one such fan, while other reactions included, "Come up with an original idea," "No thank you! Think of an original title, @20thcentury!" and "Just leave it alone." "Remake, reboot, remake, reboot, que c'est fatigant !" said another person, with the French phrase translating to, "It's tiring!" Despite the general disappointment in reaction to the news, there were a couple of fans willing to give a reboot a chance. One wrote, "reboot? yall can keep it.. unless the cast eats," while someone excited about the movie said, "Oh cool, and it's leaving the OG films alone to continue the story…these are easily my favorite (and I think best of) Shawn Levy's projects. Riddle me excited! #NightAtTheMuseum." The film franchise began in 2006 with the premiere of Night at the Museum starring , , Carla Gugino, , Bill Cobbs and Mickey Rooney. The second installment, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, came out in 2009, while the third, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, was released in 2014. An animated spinoff called Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again, focusing on Stiller's character's son, came out in 2022.'Night at the Museum' Reboot Announced — Fans All Saying the Same Thing first appeared on Parade on Jul 9, 2025 This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Netflix Orders Live-Action Adaptation of Korean Fantasy Sensation ‘Solo Leveling' With Byeon Woo-seok Set to Star
Netflix is leveling up its Korean content slate once again, commissioning a live-action adaptation of Solo Leveling, the wildly popular web novel, webtoon and anime franchise that has become one of Korea's biggest crossover hits in recent years. The fantasy-action series will star fast-rising actor Byeon Woo-seok (Lovely Runner, 20th Century Girl), with production led by Kakao Entertainment and SANAI Pictures. Byeon, who has emerged as one of Korea's most in-demand young stars, has long been fan-cast in the role of Sung Jin-woo, Solo Leveling's brooding antihero. The actor's striking visual presence — described by fans as 'straight out of a manhwa' (the Korean word for comics) — makes him a natural fit to embody Jin-woo's transformation from the weakest hunter in the land to humanity's last hope against supernatural annihilation, Netflix says. More from The Hollywood Reporter Thanks to Netflix, Kirk Cousins Will Never Pay for a Haircut Again 'Queer Eye' Set to End With Season 10 at Netflix RPG 'Kingdom Come: Deliverance II' and Its Cinematic Cut Take the Karlovy Vary Spotlight Based on the smash hit web novel published on KakaoPage, Solo Leveling has racked up a staggering 14.3 billion cumulative views globally across its various formats. Earlier this year, its anime adaptation made history as the first Korean IP-based series to sweep the 2025 Crunchyroll Anime Awards, taking home nine trophies, including anime of the year and best action. Set in a world where portals known as 'Gates' connect reality to deadly alternate dimensions, the story follows Sung Jin-woo, an E-rank hunter barely strong enough to survive low-level missions. But after a brutal dungeon raid nearly kills him, Jin-woo awakens with a mysterious new ability: he can 'level up' in power through combat, gaining strength faster than anyone before him. As he grows, so too does the scale of the threat he faces — monstrous invaders pouring from the Gates who threaten to obliterate humanity itself. The series will be co-directed by Lee Hae-jun and Kim Byung-seo, the filmmaking team behind Ashfall, Castaway on the Moon, and Like a Virgin. Netflix says the production will feature a world-class global VFX team to bring the story's high-stakes fantasy and action set-pieces to life. Solo Leveling joins Netflix's growing arsenal of premium Korean genre titles as it seeks to build upon the worldwide expectations it has established with Squid Game, following recent greenlights for Notes from the Last Row, The Rat (WT) and Lovestruck, among others. The project can be seen as representing not only a major swing at the live-action fantasy-action genre, but also a test of Korea's ongoing efforts to translate its webtoon boom into prestige series success for global audiences. Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Liam Payne shines amid criticism of Netflix's Building The Band reality show
Critics have savaged new Netflix series Building The Band, describing it as 'spectacularly misjudged,' 'painfully unfunny,' and 'a chaotic mess,' but many agreed on one thing: Liam Payne is 'the best thing' about it. The reality series, which landed on the streaming platform today (July 9), was filmed before Payne's shock death last October aged 31, when he fell from the third floor of a hotel balcony in Argentina. It features the former One Direction star in a key mentoring role. His contribution - kept in with the support of his family - has been widely praised for its warmth and authenticity, offering one of the few standout moments in a show many reviewers have otherwise called derivative. Hosted by Backstreet Boys' AJ McLean, with Nicole Scherzinger as lead judge and joined by Kelly Rowland and Payne, the 10-part competition sees aspiring singers attempt to build bands from scratch without input from music executives or producers. Most damning was The i Paper, which questioned the show's very existence in the wake of Payne's death. It raised concerns about how such talent formats affect young performers' mental health and whether enough protections are in place. 'Obviously, the flashy trailer displays no awareness of the grim irony that were it not for programmes just like this that promise desperate, hopeful singers a future of success and stardom, Payne might still be alive,' it writes. The Telegraph was also not won over, declaring the show 'an insincere singing contest' and criticising its format as a mashup of The X Factor, The Circle and Love Is Blind. Still, it highlighted Payne's appearance in episode seven as the emotional high point. 'He judges the acts with kindness and constructive criticism,' the review by the publication read, adding that an Australian contestant's heartfelt story about seeing One Direction as a child visibly moves him. 'It's right that the producers, backed by the family, decided to keep his contribution in. But it's also pretty sad.' The Guardian, meanwhile, offered a more reserved three-star verdict. While calling the series 'fine, watchable, well-crafted,' the paper criticised early episodes for feeling 'drawn out and repetitive.' It also questioned the concept's relevance in today's music scene. 'I did wonder why Building the Band would focus on groups in an era dominated by solo artists, but perhaps it's less about music and more about creating spectacle,' the reviewer wrote. The Standard's own Saskia Kemsley was the kindest, awarding the show four stars. Kemsley praised Building the Band for tapping into the legacy of early 2000s TV juggernauts like The X Factor, the show that helped launch Payne's career. 'For lifelong One Direction fans, Payne's presence is bittersweet – but he's a grounded, respectful presence here, and the series handles his legacy with care,' the review reads. She continued: 'Like clockwork, tensions flare. Those who falter often lash out, giving the show its requisite dose of drama. But Building the Band isn't just about meltdowns. It's also a showcase for powerful mentorship, and few moments are more affecting than Payne's.'
