Sandeep Reddy Vanga has been quietly putting together his Animal follow-up and keeping details of it under wraps for some time. On Thursday, on the occasion of actor Prabhas' birthday, the filmmaker revealed a multi-lingual 'Sound Story' which gives us a taste of the film's dialogues without the visuals, hinting at his protagonist's rebellious trait — someone with "one bad habit."
And who better than Prabhas to play such a character? The actor is cast as a police officer in the potboiler.
Vanga also announced the lead cast members. Prabhas and Triptii Dimri, whose involvement was announced earlier, will be joined by Vivek Oberoi, Kanchana, and Prakash Raj.
Harshavardhan Rameshwar, who wrote the music for Animal, has been roped in to work on the score for Spirit. Cinematographer Raj Thota, who made his debut with Arjun Reddy, will handle the camera.
The project marks the first collaboration of Prabhas and Vanga, and the reunion of Dimiri with Vanga after Animal, the Ranbir Kapoor-starring blockbuster in which she played the second female lead.
Dimri, who got noticed for her role in the supernatural period thriller Bulbbul, has of late shown to be a comfortable fit for mainstream masala entertainers and with appearances in movies like Animal, Bad Newz and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, she also proved to be someone with no aversion to glamorous characters.
Previously, Deepika Padukone's name was attached to the project, with all kinds of speculations floating online, from differences concerning remuneration and working schedule issues to language-related restrictions.
Earlier, with the announcement that Animal will be followed by a sequel titled Animal Park, in the end credits of the original that co-starred Rashmika Mandanna, many assumed Vanga would get working on it immediately. However, Vanga had mentioned in recent interviews Spirit will come first and that Animal Park will take a while, considering the former has been slated for a 2027 release.