King is an upcoming Indian Hindi-language action thriller film co-written and directed by Siddharth Anand. It is produced by Gauri Khan, Siddharth Anand, and Mamta Anand under Red Chillies Entertainment and Marflix Pictures. The film stars Shah Rukh Khan, Suhana Khan, Deepika Padukone, Abhishek Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Arshad Warsi, Rani Mukerji, Jaideep Ahlawat, Raghav Juyal, and Abhay Verma.
Principal photography began in May 2025 with filming taking place in Mumbai and Warsaw. The soundtrack is composed by SachinâÂÂJigar, with a film score by Anirudh Ravichander.
King is scheduled for a theatrical release on 24 December 2026.
Following the commercial success of Pathaan (2023), reports emerged that Shah Rukh Khan would collaborate with director Sujoy Ghosh on an action thriller film. The project, reportedly produced by Siddharth Anand and Gauri Khan, was also said to feature Suhana Khan in her feature film debut. Initially titled King, the film was scheduled to begin production in November 2023. The title had previously been acquired by Sajid Nadiadwala for a planned project starring Hrithik Roshan and directed by Kabir Khan, which was later shelved; Nadiadwala subsequently transferred the rights to Red Chillies Entertainment.
Filming was originally planned to take place between November 2024 and March 2025, allowing Khan to prioritize other commitments, including Tiger vs Pathaan; however, these plans were not realized. The schedule was later revised to January 2025, but this too was postponed. In August 2024, Khan confirmed the project at the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. In December 2024, Anand replaced Ghosh as director for undisclosed reasons. The film is reportedly inspired by the 1994 French film '.
Khan and his daughter Suhana were officially confirmed as part of the film in February 2024, marking SuhanaâÂÂs theatrical debut following her appearance in The Archies (2023). While early reports suggested that Khan would appear in an extended cameo, it was later clarified that he plays a full-fledged lead role. He is reportedly cast as a sleek, highly skilled assassin, with Suhana portraying his protégéâÂÂan apprentice navigating the dangerous world under his guidance. In July 2024, Abhishek Bachchan joined the project as the filmâÂÂs primary antagonist. Abhay Verma was cast in a pivotal role in August 2024.
Deepika Padukone was confirmed in April 2025 after initially declining due to personal commitments. During that period, the role had been offered to several leading actresses, including Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Bajwa, Katrina Kaif, and Preity Zinta. However, following scheduling adjustments and at KhanâÂÂs request, Padukone ultimately joined the film. In the same month, Arshad Warsi joined the cast. In May 2025, Anil Kapoor and Jackie Shroff joined the cast. Rani Mukerji was also confirmed to play SuhanaâÂÂs mother in the same month.
In June 2025, Jaideep Ahlawat, Raghav Juyal, and Saurabh Shukla were confirmed to be part of the film. Later, in September 2025, Akshay Oberoi and Karanvir Malhotra joined the cast.
Principal photography was initially scheduled to begin in early 2025, but was delayed after Anand reworked the script. Filming commenced in May 2025 at Mehboob Studios in Mumbai. In June 2025, an action sequence set in a jail environment was shot at the same location with approximately 200 stunt performers, for which large-scale prison sets were constructed. During production, Juyal sustained a leg injury while performing stunt sequences. In July 2025, Khan also suffered a muscular injury while filming action scenes at the Golden Tobacco Factory in Vile Parle, Mumbai, and subsequently travelled to the United States for medical treatment, resulting in a brief delay in the schedule.
The second schedule began in September 2025 in Warsaw, Poland. Warsi confirmed his participation by sharing a photograph from WarsawâÂÂs Old Town on social media, to which Anand responded with the comment âÂÂWelcome to the KingdomâÂÂ. Filming resumed in December 2025 after a six-week break for KhanâÂÂs recovery. A large-scale action sequence featuring Khan and Bachchan, reportedly mounted on a budget of â¹50 crore, was subsequently filmed in Europe.
The soundtrack is composed by SachinâÂÂJigar, replacing Siddharth Anand's norm collaborator VishalâÂÂShekhar. The film score is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, marking his first collaboration with Anand and second with Khan after Jawan (2023).
It was reported that British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran contributed to a track for the film. This rumor began from Shah Rukh Khan's appearance in the music video "Sapphire" by Sheeran and his related social media activity.
In early October 2025, during ongoing filming, Anand posted a cryptic message, âÂÂTick. Tock. Tick. Tock.,â on X. The post, which did not explicitly reference the film, prompted speculation among fans that it signalled a countdown to the release of the filmâÂÂs first look. Around the same time, he also shared behind-the-scenes content on Instagram, including an image of the crew taken during an early morning shoot.
The title reveal and first-look poster of the film were unveiled on 2 November 2025, coinciding with KhanâÂÂs 60th birthday. The poster showcased Khan in a distinctive salt-and-pepper look. Prior to the official announcement, Anand teased the filmâÂÂs release date on X through a series of cryptic tweets. The release date was eventually confirmed on 24 December 2026 via an announcement video.
King is scheduled for a theatrical release on 24 December 2026, coinciding with Christmas Eve. It will release in Hindi, with dubbed versions in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada.
The overseas distribution rights were acquired by Yash Raj Films.