Astro Shaw Launches Its Own Cinematic Universe, Set to Begin in 2025, Interlinking ‘Keluang Man’, ‘High Council’, ‘Polis Evo’, and More

According to Astro Shaw, the initiative aims to elevate the nation's cinematic landscape to compete on a regional and international stage and to open doors to exciting collaborations with production studios, creative talents, artists, agencies, and industries worldwide.

The head of Astro Shaw Raja Jastina Raja Arshad, revealed incoming titles from some of their popular intellectual properties (IPs) and shared how they aim to not only follow in the footsteps of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) but even improve upon the tried-and-tested formula.

This is by interconnecting all of their existing IPs, such as the Polis Evo franchise, Projek High Council, and the upcoming Keluang Man franchise, through series and films, which will all accumulate to a conclusion by 2028.

The initiative is a first of its kind for Malaysia and will blend diverse genres and stories in a complicated but interconnected web of different paths.

Police Evo

The Police Evo franchise is one of Malaysia’s biggest and most well-loved franchises, as evidenced by the fact that Police Evo 3 became the highest-grossing local film in Malaysia in 2023.

The comedy-action films starring local actors Zizan Razak and Shaheizy Sam will see the franchise expanded through a spinoff film, a television series, and a fourth film.

According to Polis Evo co-creator Kyle Goonting, the spinoff Polis Evo film titled REZA will be centered behind the antagonist of Polis Evo 3, Reza, played by actor Sharnaaz Ahmad

He shared that the spinoff, which will serve as a catalyst for the Polis Evo universe expansion, will enter into production by 2025, and the film is expected to be released in 2026.

Meanwhile, Goonting also confirmed Polis Evo 4 and a new Polis Evo series being developed by the studio, which is being coined the Evo Academy.

Keluang Man

The upcoming live-action film Keluang Man has been hyped as one of the biggest local films of 2025.

However, it won't end with just with one film. Anwari revealed that the Keluang Man film will be the first of six films planned for the franchise's first phase.

According to director Anwari Ashraf, the first Keluang Man film will focus primarily on the Kluang district in Johor to pay homage to the birthplace of the Malaysian superhero, while the other five titles will revolve around peninsular Malaysia.

Among the titles confirmed for the Keluang Man franchise are Baling, Patani, Keluang Man 2, Besut, and Kataha (Kedah Tua), which will introduce other legends or superheroes from other areas of Malaysia.

Projek: High Council

Projek: High Council creator Anwari Ashraf said that following the success of the first season of the series and its prequel film, Kahar: Kapla High Council, the ASCU will release a television series titled Kudrat 1968 centring on the origin of the High Council organisation.

Kahar: Kapla High Council premiered on November 28 and is still showing in cinemas nationwide. The film has already earned RM11 million.

The High Council universe, created by Anwari Ashraf, boasts a stellar lineup of local stars such as Amir Ahnaf, Aedy Ashraf, Mierul Aiman, Naim Daniel and Nadhir Nasar.

Enter into a world of possibilities

Although the foundations for the ASCU have been laid, Raja Jastina stated that Astro Shaw is constantly open to collaborations from filmmakers and brands.

“While global box office remains important, we must explore new revenue streams like merchandising, brand integrations, and expanded platforms,” she shared.

“These avenues not only drive financial growth but also extend the life and legacy of our stories. We aim to support the Malaysian film industry by creating opportunities for filmmakers and contributing to the Malaysian cinema ecosystem.”