Lokesh Cinematic Universe

The Lokesh Cinematic Universe (LCU), also known as the Loki Cinematic Universe or Lokiverse, is an Indian media franchise and shared universe of Tamil-language action thriller films created by Lokesh Kanagaraj. It is currently the highest grossing Tamil film franchise.

The first feature of the universe Kaithi was released in 2019, while the second installment Vikram was released in 2022 and third installment Leo was released in 2023 with Leo being the highest grosser of all LCU films. The universe follows an elaborate conflict between law enforcement officers and vigilantes in South India who are at war against dangerous drug cartels led by powerful crime lords. A 10-minute short film detailing the origins of the LCU will be released in late 2024, before the commencement of Kaithi 2.

Development
Lokesh Kanagaraj expressed his desire to create a shared universe of films after completing his debut feature, Maanagaram. He emphasized that such films have enduring appeal. During the production of Kaithi, he conceptualized and experimented with this idea, incorporating multiple open-ended plotlines in Kaithi. He further developed this concept in collaboration with Dream Warrior Pictures and Raaj Kamal Films International for his film Vikram, utilising properties owned by these production companies. As a result, he successfully established a shared universe and announced plans for additional projects set within this interconnected cinematic world.

Naming
Though the name "Lokesh Cinematic Universe" was coined by fans, post the release of Vikram, he accepted it as the official name of the universe. Other names for the franchise include the Loki Cinematic Universe and Lokiverse, as Loki is his nickname.

In-franchise connections
Narain and George Maryan are the only actors who have reprised their roles in significant capacities across multiple films within the universe. Karthi and Kamal Haasan have made voice-only cameo appearances, reprising their roles as Dilli in Vikram and Vikram in Leo, respectively.

Kaithi (2019)
After a drug bust of 900 kgs of cocaine belonging to drug peddlers Adaikalam and Anbu in Trichy, Inspector Bejoy faces a dire situation when several cops are poisoned at a party by a corrupt cop in an attempt to recover the loot and kill the officers involved in the bust. To thwart the gang, Bejoy blackmails ex-convict Dilli into assisting him by threatening to prevent him from meeting his 10-year-old daughter for the first time. Together, they embark on a mission to transport the poisoned cops to the hospital and prevent Anbu's gang from getting their hands on the busted drugs. Their journey is fraught with danger as they continuously evade pursuing gang members, who receive support from a corrupt narcotics official, Stephen Raj.

The first installment of the LCU, it stars Karthi in the lead role, along with Narain, Arjun Das, Harish Uthaman, George Maryan and Dheena in pivotal roles.

Vikram (2022)
Amar, a black ops agent, is assigned to investigate a series of murders committed by a masked group of vigilantes. Their victims include high-ranking officials from the narcotics department like Stephen Raj and ACP Prabhanjan, and Prabhanjan's seemingly harmless foster father, Karnan. As Amar delves deeper into the case, a tangled web of clues leads him to the mastermind behind the murders, a drug kingpin named Sandhanam, who controls the largest drug syndicate in Chennai. However, a surprising twist reveals that Karnan is, in fact, alive and is former Black Ops Commander Vikram, who leads the group of vigilantes, that now includes Bejoy. In the face of this revelation, Vikram, Amar, and Bejoy unite their efforts to take down Sandhanam's powerful drug syndicate.

The second installment in the LCU stars Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil with Kalidas Jayaram, Narain and Chemban Vinod Jose in supporting roles. Suriya made his first appearance in the LCU in a cameo role as Rolex. The film is a spiritual successor of Vikram (1986).

Leo (2023)
Parthiban, a café owner and animal rescuer in Theog, becomes a local hero after thwarting a group of robbers in his café. This draws the attention of gangsters Antony and Harold Das, who suspect him to be Antony's estranged son, Leo Das. Parthiban denies having any connection to them but they continue to hound him, and he takes matters into his own hands by eliminating both Antony and Harold and destroying their datura factory after confessing that he is Leo having left his past life behind. Following this, Vikram, knowing Parthi's identity as Leo, invites him to join forces in creating a drug-free society in India, while suggesting a mysterious connection between them from their past.

The third installment in LCU stars Vijay in the title role, alongside Trisha, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Sarja, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Priya Anand and Madonna Sebastian with George Maryan as Napoleon and a voice-over cameo by Kamal Haasan as Agent Vikram. It is based on 2005 film A History of Violence, which itself was an adaptation of the graphic novel of the same name.

Leo emerged as the highest grossing LCU film of all time, the highest-grossing Tamil film of 2023, the fifth highest-grossing Indian film of 2023, the highest-grossing Tamil film overseas and the highest-grossing film in Tamil Nadu.

Kaithi 2 (TBA)
As implied at the end of Kaithi, Lokesh had planned for a sequel, which he confirmed after its release. In an interview with Subha J Rao to Firstpost, Lokesh conveyed his interest in developing the film into a franchise, stating that he had an idea for both the prequel and the sequel, which depends on the recurring schedules of the cast members. In May 2021, the film's producer, S. R. Prabhu, confirmed that the sequel was in the works.

Kaithi 2 is intended to be a prequel for Dilli, focusing on his character. Later, in an interaction with fans through Twitter, Lokesh explained about Anbu's return in Vikram as he was knocked out and not dead, although he had stitch marks in his jaw due to his injuries.

Following the success of Vikram, Lokesh planned to expand the scale of the sequel, with S. R. Prabhu admitting that it would be bigger than the first film. Production of the film was expected to begin in the second quarter of 2022 but was delayed as Lokesh intended to resume the project after completing Leo and a film with Rajinikanth later titled Coolie that would not be the part of the LCU.

Leo 2 (TBA)
In early August, reports surfaced indicating that the film would receive a sequel, marking Vijay's first venture into a sequel project. In December 2023, Lokesh confirmed the project, Leo 2, and that he would begin work on it after fulfilling his commitments to Thalaivar 171 and Kaithi 2.

Vikram 2 (TBA)
Due to the film's remarkable success, Kamal Haasan, in an interview with Pinkvilla, expressed the potential for a sequel to Vikram. Additionally, there were reports indicating the development of a third installment in the Vikram series.

Rolex spin-off (TBA)
In August 2023, Suriya revealed that a spin-off centered around his character Rolex from Vikram is being planned.

Music
Anirudh has composed the soundtracks and film scores of the LCU films under the label of Sony Music, except for Kaithi which was composed by Sam CS.

Theme music
Lokiverse serves as the theme music for the franchise. It has two versions. The original version was featured in Vikram (2022), while the second version was featured in Leo (2023). The second version titled "Lokiverse 2.0" connected the elements of the franchise between the first three installments: Kaithi (2019), Vikram (2022) and Leo (2023).

Timeline
An official timeline has not been released by the makers, but the films give an indication of this.

In the cinematic universe, the events in Kaithi unfold in the year 2019, followed by the events in Vikram, which transpire three months after the events in Kaithi. Subsequently, the events in Leo occur two years later in 2021. The flashback storylines in Vikram and Leo depict events from 1991 and 1999 respectively.

Box office performance
The Lokesh Cinematic Universe is currently the highest grossing Tamil film franchise.