Kannada cinema superstar Upendra has joined Zombie Reddy Nxt Lvl, the sequel to the 2021 hit Zombie Reddy. He will take on a key role in the adventure zombie action-comedy, which brings back Teja Sajja as the franchise’s zombie-slaying lead and marks Shanaya Kapoor’s South Indian cinema debut.
Variety reported that People Media Factory confirmed Upendra’s casting on Teja Sajja’s birthday, along with the film’s cast and creative team.
Prasanth Varma directed Zombie Reddy, which followed a game developer fighting to save his village after a scientist’s vaccine experiment triggered a zombie outbreak. Suparn S Varma will direct the sequel from a story created by Prasanth Varma.
Gowra Hari, who composed the music for HanuMan and Mirai, will score the film. Hussain Dalal, Prasanth Varma and Suparn S Varma have written the screenplay.
T G Vishwa Prasad and Krithi Prasad will produce the film for People Media Factory. The sequel will release in seven languages: Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam, Nepali and Japanese.
Sajja said the original Zombie Reddy was a calculated risk aimed at breaking away from conventional storytelling. He thanked audiences for embracing him as a zombie slayer and said their support encouraged him to take bolder choices.
He promised to take the sequel “to a whole new scale”, adding that the zombies would be “deadlier” as he celebrated his birthday. He also said he was proud to be part of a team aiming to create a grand and immersive spectacle.
Suparn S Varma said the filmmakers wanted to surprise both themselves and audiences. He described zombies as an expression of humanity’s worst catastrophes and said the team had expanded Prasanth Varma’s original concept into a new “zombieverse”.
He praised the film’s collaborators and wished Sajja, whom he called the audience’s favourite zombie slayer, a happy birthday.
Producer T G Vishwa Prasad said People Media Factory aims to push the boundaries of commercial cinema. He described Zombie Reddy Nxt Lvl as an epic adventure designed for a global audience, with a release planned from India to Japan.
He said the film would take everything to the next level, from its cast and director to its technicians and music. The film is scheduled to reach audiences in 2027.
