Watch The Old Guard creators discuss its journey from comic to movie

This week, The Old Guard becomes the latest film to be released exclusively on Netflix. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, The Old Guard is set to stand out in a summer without the multiplex. But this story of unkillable master warriors who spend centuries trying to figure out how to live and how to die didn't originate on the screen. It began life as a comic book by writer Greg Rucka (Wonder Woman, Stumptown) and artist Leandro Fernandez (first teased by EW back in 2016). In the exclusive clip above, you can see how The Old Guard made its journey from one medium to another.

For one thing, Rucka says that one important change was fleshing out more of the characters. Andromache of Scythia, or "Andy" in modern day parlance, is very much the focus of the story in the comic. She's portrayed by Charlize Theron in the film, so very much still the center of the action, but her comrades have to shine on screen as well.

"The comic was always meant to be Andy's journey. When it came time to adapt it, it forced me to do a lot of character work on Nile, on Nicky, on Joe, on Booker," says Rucka, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. "There's needs to be an equal amount of meat on everybody's bone."

Those character names belong to Andy's fellow immortals, who can find others like them through shared dreams (the exact mechanics of which, like their other abilities, remain mysterious to them). Towards the beginning of the story, Andy and her crew find a new recruit named Nile (KiKi Layne).

"I think one of the biggest things we did was really elevate the character of Nile," Prince-Bythewood says.

To see the full extent of changes and adaptation, watch The Old Guard when it hits Netflix on Friday. Until then, watch the video above.

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• The Old Guard: Inside Charlize Theron's transformation into an ax-wielding, millennia-old warrior
• Charlize Theron is better than the standard action in Netflix's The Old Guard: Review
• The Old Guard: Exclusive first look at Greg Rucka/Leandro Fernandez comic from Image