Pathaan 2 script finalised; Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone to start filming sequel in early 2026: Report

Shah Rukh Khan made his grand comeback in 2023 with the action thriller Pathaan. A part of YRF Spy Universe, the Siddharth Anand directorial featured Deepika Padukone as the leading lady and John Abraham as the main antagonist. Now, there have been reports that Aditya Chopra has finalised the script of Pathaan 2 and the sequel will begin filming in the first quarter of 2026.

A source was quoted telling Peeping Moon, "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 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", the source further added.

The report also added that the director of Pathaan 2 hasn't been finalised yet. Siddharth Anand will reportedly not be returning for the sequel, which will also mark Deepika Padukone's return to the franchise. Before Pathaan 2, War 2 and Alpha are the next films in the YRF Spy Universe and both are slated to release this year.

Coming back to Pathaan, the 2023 action thriller became a huge blockbuster and earned over Rs 1050 crore at the global box office. Later in the same year, Shah Rukh broke his own record with the action thriller Jawan, that minted Rs 1150 crore worldwide. Jawan and Pathaan are the second and third highest-grossing Bollywood films behind Dangal.