Charlize Theron explains the delay in the release of “The Old Guard 2”

Michael Buckner for Variety

Charlize Theron insists that “The Old Guard 2” will be released “soon.”

The Oscar winner explains that the action sequel, which wrapped filming about two years ago, faced a long delay, in part due to a change in leadership at Netflix. “Netflix went through quite a transition,” Theron told me Saturday at her Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project Block Party. “We were kind of stuck there and our post-production was shut down after, I think, five weeks.”

Strikes by actors and screenwriters are also said to have led to the film not being completed as planned. Despite this, Theron never worried that the film might be put on hold.

“They’ve been through a lot of changes, and I completely understand that,” she said. “We’ve finally started it again and I’m really excited about it.”

The first part of “Old Guard” was released in 2020, and the streamer announced that it reached 72 million households in its first four weeks. In the film, an adaptation of the comic book of the same name by screenwriter Greg Rucka and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, Theron plays Andy, the leader of a small army of superheroic immortals (Kiki Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari and Luca Marinelli) whose centuries-old secret existence is threatened by a villainous pharmaceutical titan who wants to replicate their DNA.

The second part was directed by Victoria Mahoney, with Uma Thurman and Henry Golding joining returning cast members Theron, Layne, Schoenaerts, Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Veronica Ngo and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

“It’s really good,” Theron said. “It’s a really important movie for us. I only wanted to do it if we could make it great. I really love this movie.”

In May 2023, “Old Guard” producer Marc Evans hinted that the franchise could become a trilogy. “There’s an ending to No. 2 that kind of begs for No. 3, which makes me very happy,” he said diversity.

Theron now also has dancing on her mind. She recently opened the dance studio The Six Compound in Burbank.

“I’m on a dance tour with my kids,” she said. “It felt like I could give back. It’s important for young people to have a space where they can dream and get out of their real world. That’s escapism. We want to include everyone and think outside the box of what it really means to be a dancer.”