After a few months of waiting and looking, The Old Guard 2 has found its director in Victoria Mahoney. Currently in the works at Netflix, the upcoming sequel will bring back Charlize Theron and the other core cast members of the original. After directing the original movie, Gina Prince-Bythewood opted not to return for the sequel, though she wished Mahoney well with her work on part two.

"I love The Old Guard and the story and characters I was honored to put into the world. It was exciting to disrupt the genre," said Prince-Bythewood in a statement, per Deadline. "I have decided not to direct the sequel, but will stay on as a producer. I leave our franchise in good hands as my girl Vic Mahoney takes on this next chapter."

"Genuinely blown backwards by the collective levels of talent, skill and savvy that went into carving The Old Guard," Victoria Mahoneyalso said. "I must've watched it over a hundred times, and as such, cannot communicate the true measure of my excitement-being invited on The Old Guard journey alongside ferocious badasses. Ever eager to continue pushing the genre for action-loving audiences. Warmly tipping my hat to the world Gina, Charlize, Rucka, Fernández, Skydance, Netflix, Marc Evans Productions, Denver & Delilah Films and the entire Team daringly put forward."

In a tweet further acknowledging the news, Mahoney added: "The Old Guard 2: And we have lift off! Everyone who knows me--knows that this TEAM, this story, this genre, this zip code, and this realm is a dream come true. Cannot wait for audiences to see what we're cooking up for you all..."

The Old Guard is based on the comic book series of the same name by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández. Rucka penned the screenplay for the first movie and will return to write the sequel. Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli, Veronica Ngo, and Chiwetel Ejiofor starred in the 2020 movie. All are expected to return for The Old Guard 2.

Rucka will executive produce in addition to penning the script. David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, and Don Granger are producing for Skydance. Theron, Beth Kono, and AJ Dix are also producing for Denver and Delilah and Marc Evans producing for Marc Evans Productions. Prince-Bythewood is also producing.

"We are beyond thrilled that Vic is joining The Old Guard team," said Theron, Kono and Dix in a statement. "Her passion for these characters and her ambitious vision for the movie overwhelmed us all. We are grateful for the opportunity to work with her."

Mahoney served as second unit director on J.J. Abrams' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, making her the first woman and first Black woman to direct a Star Wars movie. She also helmed the 2011 feature Yelling to the Sky with her other TV credits including You, The Red Line, and Lovecraft Country. Lately, she had reportedly been considering many offers, but directing the sequel to such a popular movie for Netflix was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

There's no release date set for The Old Guard 2 at this time, but production appears to be on the fast track with a director now in place. You can watch the original movie now on Netflix. This news comes to us from Deadline.