Following the release of Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan last September, Atlee was set to team up with Pushpa: The Rise (2021) actor Allu Arjun for his next directorial venture.
However, rumors suggest that the yet-untitled film has been canceled four months before it was slated to begin production.
Sources in Tollywood attribute this to the filmmaker's high asking fee of ₹80 crore.
Geetha Arts, which was expected to produce the Allu-Atlee collaboration, found the director’s remuneration unreasonably high and financially unviable.
Notably, none of the other producers working with Allu Arjun are willing to meet Atlee’s demands. As a result, the filmmaker is now seeking another actor for his next project.
Meanwhile, Allu Arjun, who is gearing up for Pushpa 2: The Rule, will need to decide on his next project after wrapping up Sukumar’s directorial venture later this month.