Actor Vijay has been on a roll headlining several box office money-spinner films over the years and is currently reigning at the top of the league, with his upcoming Varisu set to open in cinemas worldwide as a grand Pongal release in January 2023. There is a tremendous buzz surrounding the upcoming film directed by Vamshi Paidipally under the hit Telugu producer-distributor Dil Raju's Sri Venkateswara Creations banner. In the midst of the post-production and the pre-release works of Varisu, there is also a massive buzz surrounding Vijay's next big film, the tentatively titled Thalapathy 67, which will be a reunion for the superstar with blockbuster director Lokesh Kanagaraj after their Master in 2021. 

Considering Varisu is on track for a release in theatres everywhere on January 12, the work on Vijay's Thalapathy 67 has begun after a formal pooja held on Monday, December 5, at the prestigious AVM Studios in Chennai, as per the latest reports. It is also stated that work on a promo video for the film's announcement is currently underway and it is believed that filming on the illustrious project is expected to begin soon either later this month or after the New Year. As fans continue to wait for the official Thalapathy 67 announcement, there has been quite a lot of talk regarding the film's star cast and the technical crew. With many names already speculated to be a part of Vijay's Thalapathy 67, there is also considerable debate about the film's release plans and when it would arrive in theatres. 

If Varisu and Thalapathy 67 were to open in theatres in 2023, it would be the first time that two Vijay films will release in the same year, and after a gap of five years when his Bairavaa and Mersal came out for Pongal and Diwali in 2017. Since then, the superstar has been releasing one film every year starting with Sarkar (2018), Bigil (2019), Master (2021), and Beast (2022), and the possibility of both Varisu and Thalapathy 67 coming out in the same year will indeed bring joy to the superstar's ardent fan following everywhere. However, all this is based on early speculation, and it now remains to be seen how the Thalapathy 67 team will go ahead with their production schedule and then decide on the release plans accordingly. Vijay has had two releases on three more occasions in the last decade after films like Kaavalan and Velayudham came out in 2011, followed by Nanban and Thuppakki in 2012, and Jilla and Kaththi making their way to theatres in 2014.

As of now, Vijay and Lokesh Kanagaraj are the only names to be formally revealed to be a part of Thalapathy 67, with the film set to feature music by Anirudh Ravichander under Lalit Kumar's 7 Screen Studios banner. The project has piqued the interest of Vijay fans ever since it was revealed at the time of the release of Master that the actor and Lokesh Kanagaraj would be reuniting once again. In addition, the success of Vikram starring Kamal Haasan further bolstered the expectations for Thalapathy 67, with the debate of the film set in the Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU) also gaining big feedback. Whether the Vijay-Lokesh Kanagaraj film is a part of the LCU and whether it will come out sometime in 2023 remains to be seen at this point. It is to be noted that 7 Screen Studios has acquired the Tamil Nadu theatrical rights of Vijay's Varisu and fans look forward to the film getting a big release on a good number of screens in the state. For the most part, the core team of Thalapathy 67 seems to be confirmed and the wait is now on for the announcement, which is expected to be made soon.