The cast sent a message to fans during Netflix's Tudum event on Saturday.
Fans of The Old Guard got a special treat from the cast during Netlfix's virtual Tudum event Saturday.
Charlize Theron, Kiki Layne, Luca Marinelli, Marwan Kenzari and Chiwetel Ejiofor joined the event virtually from the set of the upcoming sequel.
"We are currently in beautiful Rome, Italy, filming the sequel to The Old Guard," Theron announced. "We know how much you loved the first film and we've been putting in the work to make sure this new film is even better."
Ejiofor also announced new cast members Henry Golding and Uma Thurman, and Layne promised that the sequel will deliver "new locations, even more action and incredible stunts. There's so many surprises you'll never see coming."
It's been over a year since Theron confirmed to Variety that she and co-stars Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli were "definitely" returning for another movie installment, which was well on its way.
The first Old Guard film, an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name, followed Andy (Theron) and a covert team of immortal mercenaries who are suddenly exposed and must now fight to keep their identity a secret. They also welcomed a new immortal, a U.S. Marine, Nile (Layne), who died in combat, to their group.
The script was finished when Theron spoke to Variety last July, and director Victoria Mahoney -- who took over for Gina Prince-Bythewood after she helmed the first film -- shared a photo on her Twitter account when filming began in June.
The original film was well received when it started streaming on Netflix, receiving a whopping 72 million household tune-ins during its first week of release last July.
Theron told ET that she couldn't wait for her daughters to (someday, when they're old enough) watch her new movie to see her co-star, Layne, kick ass.
"It's so amazing that I get to be in this film with Kiki. My girls came out when we made this film, and I just love that my children will look back on this film and see themselves reflected. Kiki is a reflection for my girls," Theron told ET's Kevin Frazier. "And that's so important. We need more of that."
Layne, who broke out in 2018's If Beale Street Could Talk, added that she sees her role as revolutionary only in that it actually reflects real life.
"For whatever reason, Hollywood has had a very limited view of what life is and what certain people in certain roles, what they look like," Layne said. "And this film basically says, 'No. There is so much more room, so many more people who can fill these roles and tell these stories.' I'm just looking at a point where it's not just a surprise, where it's like this is the world and our films should reflect it."
"When I read the script and her character popped up, I was like, 'I'm in,'" she revealed. "The fact that I get to put a young, Black, female hero into the world in a movie like this? Obviously, we know how rare it is. And we need to see ourselves like that. The world needs to see ourselves as heroes, to be inspired by and aspire to be."
The Old Guard is expected to premiere next year.
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