(This article is authored by Alar) 

Thalapathy Vijay is back with a bang in Leo, the most-awaited action thriller of 2023. The film, directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj, is a part of the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), a shared world of characters and stories that promises to thrill the audience. The film also features Trisha as the female lead, who is reuniting with Vijay after 14 years. They have previously worked together in hit movies like Ghilli and Thirupaachi.

Now fans will get a special treat on his 49th birthday, June 22nd, when the first poster for his upcoming film Leo is unveiled. It's exciting to see Vijay and director Lokesh Kanagaraj working together again with unique premise after their successful collaboration on the commercial blockbuster Master in 2021.

The film also boasts of a stellar star cast that includes Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who is making his Tamil debut, Arjun Sarja, Priya Anand, Mysskin, Gautham Vasudev Menon and Mansoor Ali Khan. The music for the film is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, who has delivered chartbusters for Vijay’s previous films like Kaththi and Master.

The shooting of Leo began in January 2023 in Chennai and continued in various locations like Kashmir, Mumbai and Hyderabad. The film is expected to wrap up by July and is slated to hit the theatres on October 19, 2023, during the Diwali festival.

The title and teaser of Leo were revealed on February 3, 2023, through a promotional video that showed Vijay preparing varieties of chocolate and a sword in his home. The video ended with a battalion of cars reaching his home and Vijay wielding the sword dripping with chocolate. The teaser was reminiscent of Kamal Haasan’s Vikram (2022), another film set in the LCU.

Leo is produced by S. S. Lalit Kumar’s Seven Screen Studio and The Route, who have also backed Master. The film is made on a budget of ₹250–300 crore, making it one of the most expensive Tamil films ever made. Vijay has reportedly opted for a revenue sharing model instead of a fixed remuneration to benefit the film’s production.