Dec 24, 2025 12:49pm IST
Ranveer Singh Picks Zombies Over Actioner; Fasttracks Pralay After Don 3 Exit
Nearly two and a half years after the official announcement and multiple postponements later, Don 3 was finally supposed to get off the ground in late January. Pre-production had begun, HODs were paid for three months in advance, and the entire casting was locked, which included Ranveer Singh (as the new-gen Don), Kriti Sanon, Tamil actor Arjun Das (as the villain), Ashutosh Rana, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Rahul Dev and Neeraj Kabi.
But then came December 22, when Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidwani called all the department heads and informed them that Ranveer had walked out of the project, postponing the production indefinitely. Although reports suggest that the makers are now looking for a new actor to step into Don's role, our sources say the film has formally been put on the backburner.
Ranveer, who is on the verge of delivering the biggest ever Hindi film at the box office with Dhurandhar, was apparently not satisfied with the Don 3 script as he felt it was just too similar to earlier Don films and offered nothing new that Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan haven't done with the character before. He was waiting for Dhurandhar’s release before taking a call and when the Aditya Dhar film became an ultimate box office winner, Ranveer was clear that he doesn't want to commit to something he isn’t sure about.
Sources say Ranveer is now fast-tracking Jai Mehta’s zombie actioner, Pralay, with its production beginning right after the release of Dhurandhar Part 2, which is slated to hit cinemas during Eid 2026 weekend. Ranveer has closely been working with Mehta on this post-apocalyptic thriller and will officially begin shooting in April 2026. Ranveer also produces this film under his Maa Kasam Films banner in collaboration with Hansal Mehta’s True Story Films, with Sameer Nair’s Applause Entertainment financing it. The Bajirao Mastani actor is also believed to be discussing a mythological actioner with Aditya Dhar, which if all goes well, could be his follow-up to Pralay.
Meanwhile, Farhan is now likely to revive his long-delayed female-led road-trip saga, Jee Le Zara starring Priyanka Chopra, Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt in lead roles.
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