After directing Shah Rukh Khan, 'Jawan' director Atlee to work with Salman Khan

Atlee and Salman Khan

After collaborating with Shah Rukh Khan, director Atlee is set to join forces with another Bollywood superstar for his next film. The director is reportedly set to team up with Salman Khan, who was last seen in 'Tiger 3'.

According to media reports, Atlee initially aimed to collaborate with Telugu superstar Allu Arjun. However, after not getting the actor's approval, he pitched a new idea to Salman Khan, which the Bollywood superstar really liked. It is also reported that Atlee's substantial paycheck was a concern for Geetha Arts, owned by Allu Arjun's father, Allu Aravind.

Atlee is currently working on the script, and the film will be announced soon under the banner of Sun Pictures. Shooting is expected to start next year, as Salman is currently busy with 'Sikandar', directed by A.R. Murugadoss, who is known for the Aamir Khan-starrer 'Ghajini'.

'Sikandar', which has booked an Eid 2025 release date, is expected to wrap up production by March 2025.

Meanwhile, Allu Arjun's 'Pushpa 2: The Rule' has been postponed to a Diwali release due to some remaining VFX patchwork. With 'Pushpa 2: The Rule' shifting its release date, many Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi films have now booked the August 15 release slot.

According to a report in Pinkvilla, sources close to the team of Pushpa 2 confirmed that the film is no longer releasing on August 15, 2024. "The discussions about delay in Pushpa have been going on for a while now, as the makers were always racing against time to finish the shoot and lock their edit for Independence Day 2024 weekend. It's yesterday that they finally decided to delay the release date and an official announcement on the new date is expected to be made in a day or two," revealed the source close.

The source further added that the Allu Arjun, Sukumar, and Mythri are now considering to bring their actioner in the month of December. "Pushpa 2 team is considering several date options - which includes Dussehra 2024, December 2024, and Pongal 2025. However, the way things are moving, it seems that Pushpa 2 will arrive in the month of December," the source added. For those unaware, Pushpa: The Rise had released on December 17, 2021, and the timelines for the sequel are also similar.

(with inputs from IANS)