Arun Chandu, the director of the State Award-winning science fiction mockumentary Gaganachari, is set to helm a new zombie film titled Vala. The upcoming film will feature Gaganachari actors Gokul Suresh, Aju Varghese, Anarkali Marikar, and KB Ganesh Kumar. It also stars Gokul's brother Madhav Suresh in a prominent role, alongside Bhagath Manuel, John Kaippallil and Arjun Nandakumar. The makers also launched a title poster with the tagline, "Are we living in a simulation?".

Vala, jointly scripted by Arun and Tyler Durden, will see a familiar technical team from Gaganachari, with Surjit S Pai as the cinematographer, C J Achu as the editor and Sankar Sharma composing the music. In an exclusive conversation with CE, Arun said, "The film will be laced with humour, with more focus on the genre in the second half and will also have pop culture references, just like Gaganachari," while adding, "The narrative will be a hybrid of screen thriller and found footage films, with the protagonist being a vlogger." He further revealed, "The protagonist is modelled after internationally renowned American YouTuber and investigative journalist Johnny Harris."

The director also expressed his enthusiasm about the growing interest in the zombie genre within Malayalam cinema with the recent announcements of the films Majeswaram Mafia and Jambi. "It’s exciting to see others pushing the zombie genre in Malayalam alongside us. We view it as a mutually beneficial endeavour," Arun stated. Vala’s pre-production is already underway, with a focus on its CGI-heavy aspects, including the 3D modelling of creatures that will be featured in the film.

Produced by Underdog Entertainments in collaboration with Letters Entertainments, Vala is currently slated for a 2025 release without a specific window. Filming is expected to begin in the first quarter of next year.