The stage is being meticulously prepared for Shah Rukh Khan’s much-anticipated return as Pathaan. PeepingMoon.com has exclusively learned that Aditya Chopra has locked the script for the highly anticipated ‘Pathaan 2,’ with plans underway to take it into production early next year.

“Aditya has been working on the script for ‘Pathaan 2’ since mid-2023. The sequel is designed not only to carry forward Pathaan’s story but also to lay the groundwork for larger conflicts in upcoming installments of YRF’s Spy Universe. It was due to the extensive planning and intricate storytelling that the scripting process took so long. Aditya, along with Sridhar Raghavan and Abbas Tyrewala, has crafted an exhilarating, high-stakes script that promises to surpass the first installment in both scale and intensity. Aditya consulted SRK on the script, and he was thoroughly impressed and enthusiastic about the direction of the sequel,” a source close to the development revealed.

With the writing phase complete, Aditya’s next priority will be to finalize a director to helm this action-packed sequel. As we revealed last year, Siddharth Anand, who directed ‘Pathaan,’ will not be returning for the sequel. Instead, the YRF head honcho is looking for a fresh directorial voice to bring a new dimension to SRK’s swashbuckling spy character. Buzz in the trade circle suggests that Aditya himself might take the director’s chair or entrust the project to Ayan Mukerji, given how impressively ‘War 2’ has shaped up under his direction. However, it’s all up in the air with no clarity from official sources, with equal chances of an entirely new director coming aboard. Regardless of who steps into the director’s chair, preparations for the film are set to begin in the last quarter of this year, with principal photography expected to commence in early 2026.

Shah Rukh Khan will move to ‘Pathaan 2’ after completing Siddharth Anand’s ‘King.’ This high-octane action thriller, also featuring Suhana Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Abhay Verma, will see SRK portraying a badass don who aids Suhana’s character in seeking vengeance after a life-altering incident thrusts her into danger. ‘King’ is scheduled to go on floors around April or May and will be mounted on an extravagant scale, targeting a grand theatrical release in 2026.

‘Pathaan 2’ will mark the eighth installment in the YRF Spy Universe, a franchise that began with Salman Khan’s ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ and continued with ‘Tiger Zinda Hai,’ ‘War,’ ‘Pathaan,’ and ‘Tiger 3.’ The next chapter, ‘War 2,’ starring Hrithik Roshan and Jr. NTR and directed by Ayan Mukherji, is scheduled for release on August 14. Following that, Alia Bhatt and Sharvari starrer ‘Alpha’, will hit theaters during the Christmas weekend. The Spy Universe is poised to culminate in a grand finale with ‘Tiger vs. Pathaan,’ pitting Salman Khan’s Tiger against Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan in a massive showdown, potentially directed by Siddharth Anand.