THE official announcement that action star Nas-T will play the lead role in Keluang Man puts an end to the speculation about who will play the legendary Malaysian superhero.
Nas Muammar Zar, also known as Nas-T, took the stage and revealed his Keluang Man mask at the character announcement ceremony at The Bee, Publika, in Kuala Lumpur recently.
He is set to join the main cast, which includes Remy Ishak, Anwaar Beg Moghal and Datuk Rosyam Nor.
The Head of Astro Shaw and Malay Business, Nusantara Raja Jastina Raja Arshad, shared that “After a comprehensive session of casting and auditions, Astro Shaw was unanimous in selecting Nas-T because of his unparalleled devotion and dedication to fulfilling the requirements for the character.
“We believe that Nas-T will be able to add his own special touch to bringing this fan-favourite animation character to life,” she added.
The film will be helmed by Anwari Ashraf, acclaimed for co-creating the Polis Evo trilogy and directing the popular series Projek: High Council and Projek: Anchor SPM.
Anwari wrote the script for the Astro Shaw-produced film. The storyline of Keluang Man revolves around a psychiatric patient who transforms into a masked superhero vigilante.
Since its debut in the late 1990s, it has evolved into a cultural phenomenon in Malaysia. According to Google Trends data, the movie has consistently garnered searches since 2004, indicating its ongoing relevance today.
#KeluangMan has amassed over 20 million views on the social media platform TikTok and related content on YouTube has received eight million views. Fans have contributed significantly to the accumulation of Keluang Man fan art.
Notably, this year’s animated doodle for Google is a memorial to the late Kamn Ismail, who created the ingenious superhero design. Jastina further added, “When Astro Shaw announced the making of the Keluang Man film, we received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the fans and it generated lots of buzz and fanfare.
“This proves that Keluang Man is still relevant and has a significant impact on Malaysian audiences. At the same time, we aim to reintroduce our national animated IP through a live-action movie to the new generation and undoubtedly elevate this work to a higher level, on a larger scale,” she added.
The pre-production phase of the film is currently underway, and the filming session is anticipated to begin in April of the following year. The film is slated for release in 2025.
