Kannada cinema superstar Upendra has joined the cast of “Zombie Reddy Nxt Lvl,” the sequel to the hit “Zombie Reddy,” in a powerhouse role, India’s People Media Factory has confirmed.
The announcement, made on star Teja Sajja‘s birthday, also confirms the film’s cast and creative team.
The adventure zombie action-comedy marks the South Indian cinema debut of “Tu Yaa Main” star Shanaya Kapoor. Teja Sajja returns as the franchise’s zombie-slaying lead.
Directed by Prasanth Varma, “Zombie Reddy” was released in 2021, and followed a game developer who must save his village after a scientist’s vaccine experiment unleashes a zombie outbreak.
Suparn S. Varma, known for Prime Video’s “The Family Man” Season 2, Netflix’s “Rana Naidu” and film “Haq,” directs the sequel from a story created by Prasanth Varma. Gowra Hari, whose scores powered “HanuMan” and “Mirai,” composes the music.
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Hussain Dalal, Prasanth Varma and Suparn S. Varma wrote the screenplay. T.G. Vishwa Prasad and Krithi Prasad produce for People Media Factory. The film will release in seven languages – Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Nepali and Japanese.
“The biggest takeaway from my career is that cinema survives on audacity, not formulas,” Teja Sajja said. “When ‘Zombie Reddy’ was made, it was a calculated risk born out of a desire to break the monotony of conventional storytelling. I can’t thank the audience enough for embracing me as a zombie slayer and their unbridled curiosity and faith in what I do next. It’s the love that I’ve received over the years that pushes me to make brave choices. So here’s a promise to take the mayhem to a whole new scale in ‘Zombie Reddy Nxt Lvl.’ As I turn a year older, the zombies turn deadlier. With the audience validating everyone associated with the film, I’m all set to fight the dead onscreen like never before. It makes me very proud to be part of a team that wants to give viewers a grand, immersive spectacle that feeds their appetite for the extraordinary.”
Suparn S. Varma said the goal was to surprise both himself and the audience with something unlike anything seen before. “Zombies have always been a fascinating expression of our worst catastrophes, and with this film, we wanted to take that idea to the next level,” he said. “We’ve taken the foundational brilliance that Prasanth Varma created and blown it wide open, building a never-seen-before zombieverse. It’s been an absolute treat to explore a genre with such enormous creative possibilities and collaborate with stalwarts who bring their own seasoned finesse to the film. Here’s wishing one of them – the audience’s superstar and favourite zombie slayer, Teja Sajja, a very happy birthday!”
T.G. Vishwa Prasad said People Media Factory has always aimed to push the boundaries of commercial cinema. “‘Zombie Reddy Nxt Lvl’ is an epic adventure designed for a global audience, which is why we are releasing it from India to Japan,” he said. “Everything is next level right from the actors starring in it to the director, technicians, and music. The scale is massive, the stakes are dead or alive, and we cannot wait to bring this zombieverse to audiences in 2027.”
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Watch the title reveal video here: