Katrina Kaif in Ali Abbas Zafar's next, a superhero action franchise

After making his directorial debut with Katrina Kaif in the 2011 rom-com 'Mere Brother Ki Dulhan', Ali Abbas Zafar reunited with the actress six years later for the Salman Khan spy-thriller 'Tiger Zinda Hai'. In the film, the actress had reprised her role as ISI agent Zoya from the Kabir Khan directed 'Ek Tha Tiger' (2012). In fact, she was the one who introduced Ali to Salman and stepped into the duo’s period-drama, 'Bharat', after Priyanka Chopra’s sudden exit, just days before the film was to roll.Now, that the duo is all set to collaborate again, this time on a superhero action film with the actress headlining the cast.
“Ali will be directing this film and is currently finalising the script. They have been planning this project for a while now. It’s an exciting project for both as it will showcase never-seen-before stunts in Bollywood. Katrina is currently at her fittest and regular workouts will come in handy. The idea is to spin a franchise,” informed a source close to the development. Ali had earlier revealed that he is also working on a spin-off for Zoya, Katrina’s Tiger character.
Katrina Kaif in Ali Abbas Zafar's next, a superhero action franchise
He will also be producing the film and buzz is, he is in talks with Ronnie Screwvala to partner with on the project. The untitled film is expected to go on the floors this year, but the team is yet to lock a date. “Once Ali has completed the script, he will go on a recce to scout for locations,” added the source.
Over the years, Katrina and Ali have forged a strong emotional bond, with the latter admitting that she is his closest friend in Mumbai. “We come from similar middle-class backgrounds, our values are the same, and we discuss everything. On the work front, we’re very transparent with each other. If she doesn’t like something I’m doing, she lets me know and vice versa. In an industry where friendships don’t last even for months, ours has continued for over a decade,” the filmmaker has pointed out to Mirror. On January 16, for his 38th birthday, Ali hosted a party at a suburban resto-bar. Katrina was among the guests and was the last to leave, with Shah Rukh Khan and Ali at around 3.30 am, sparking rumours of a collaboration.