Ek Villain Returns, starring John Abraham and Arjun Kapoor, to be released on 8 July 2022

Audiences will see John Abraham and Arjun Kapoor go head-to-head from 8 July 2022. The Mohit Suri film Ek Villain Returns (2022) will be released on Eid next year.

The film’s lead star revealed the action film’s new release date online. He stated, "Iss baar eidi villain dega! Tareek aap yaad rakhna - 8th July 2022 [This time, the villain will give Eidi. Remember the date]."

Produced by Bhushan Kumar's T-Series and Ekta Kapoor's Balaji Motion Pictures, the film was due to be released on 11 February 2022, but the shift to July prevents a clash with Aamir Khan’s Laal Singh Chaddha (2022) which is being released on Valentine’s Day.

Suri’s Ek Villain (2014) starred Sidharth Malhotra, Riteish Deshmukh and Shraddha Kapoor. The sequel, which was announced in January 2020, originally featured Aditya Roy Kapur opposite John Abraham.

The film was slated to be released on 8 January 2021 but was delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. The delay also cost the film a change of lead actor as Arjun Kapoor replaced Aditya. Tara Sutaria had already been named as one of the female leads in March 2020.

Disha Patani joined the cast with Kapoor this February. Filming began in Mumbai this March but was shifted to Goa due to the rise in COVID-19 cases during the second wave.

The upcoming sequel will feature John and Kapoor in a 'villain versus villain' face-off.