After 'Furious 7' and Judi Dench movie, Ali Fazal bags a solo Hollywood starrer

Ali Fazal

Ali Fazal

After having completed a four month-long shoot for his upcoming Hollywood film, Victoria and Abdul, alongside Academy Award winning actress Judi Dench, Ali Fazal returned to India to join Richa Chadha, Varun Sharma and Pulkit Samrat on the sets of 'Fukrey 2'. However, if sources are to be believed, the actor will soon return to foreign shores after having been roped in for his third Hollywood film, expected to be a prequel to Victoria and Abdul.

Director Stephen Frears will helm the second instalment, which traces the life of Abdul before he was taken under Queen Victoria's service. Says a source close to the development, "This film will focus on Abdul's life in India. Abdul, a clerk, travels to London to participate in the Queen's Golden Jubilee celebrations and is surprised to have bagged a chance to bond with the Queen. As she ponders about the pressures of her position as the monarch, they form an unlikely bond of loyalty and love. While the first part focuses on their friendship and the alteration of the Queen's perception, the second will be devoted to Ali and his life before Victoria."

Victoria and Abdul is slated for a September 22, 2017 release and the shooting for the prequel would only begin a month after that. "Scripting will start by January. It wasn't supposed to be a franchise but once Frears saw the story shaping well, he wanted to make something solely on Abdul's life. The audience should get to relish his journey in an outing that's all his," adds the source.

Rumour mills are also abuzz with news that Ali has been approached by a noted production house in Hollywood to play a spy in a slick thriller. Though the actor is keen to sign on the dotted line, casting is still underway.