Don 3 director Farhan Akhtar has opened up about Shah Rukh Khan’s exit from the popular film series, citing “creative differences” as the reason behind the duo discontinuing their partnership in the upcoming third instalment, which now stars Ranveer Singh as the titular character.

“I’m not in the position of replacing anybody. These are things that we discussed over the years. I wanted to take a certain direction with the story, but somehow we just couldn’t find common ground. We just parted mutually knowing that it’s probably for the best. So that’s where it is,” Akhtar said in an interview with US-based publication Variety.

The Dil Chahata Hai director also said that he is excited to work with Ranveer Singh in the third instalment of the franchise. “I’m really excited Ranveer’s on board. He’s so charged and so ready to go. It’s a big film, just purely from the point of view of an actor, it’s a big thing to do, and we’re really excited to have him on board. His energy is energising us, so to speak.”

Excel Entertainment, the home banner of Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani, unveiled Ranveer as the new face of Don via an announcement teaser for Don 3 last month. “A New Era Begins. #Don3”, the studio wrote on Instagram while sharing the video.

In the video, Ranveer could be seen seated in a building with his back to the camera. He lights up a cigarette, introduces himself as Don, and then turns to face the camera.

The 83 actor is the third actor to portray the iconic gangster character after Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh. The character was created by Javed Akhtar and Salim Khan for Chandra Barot’s 1978 film Don.

Akhtar remade the film in 2006 with Shah Rukh in the titular role along with Priyanka Chopra and Boman Irani. In 2011, Don 2 was released where Shah Rukh, Priyanka and Irani reprised their roles. Actor Hrithik Roshan made a special appearance in the film.