Saif Ali Khan, Deepika Padukone
Saif Ali Khan, Deepika PadukoneVarinder Chawla

Saif Ali Khan has been the face of the "Race" franchise and it's only obvious that he came with its third instalment. Sources say there has been no confirmation of his return yet and that the makers will sit with him and have an extensive discussion when the final draft is ready.

"Race 3" is in its "scripting stage" and the team is looking at ideas, which will truly surprise the audience. "Action, romance and thrills are integral to the franchise, so obviously they won't be drifting away from that. But they want to surprise the audience with some great content. So they want to give the script as much time it requires, to get it spot on," an insider told The Asian Age.

Interestingly, this time two years ago producer Ramesh Taurani told The Indian Express that Saif would definitely be part of the franchise but the rest of the cast had to be decided on. Considering Ranveer Singh (Saif ) ended up with Alina Malik (Deepika) in part two, the makers could bring her character back, but this is only a wishful thought at this point.

In other news, both Saif and Deepika are busy with their respective films.

The actor has just wrapped up first schedule of Vishal Bhardhwaj's "Rangoon," which was apparently being shot in Filmcity, Mumbai. Scheduled for a Sept. 30 release, the film is set in the World War II era with a Casablanca-esque love story.

Meanwhile, the "Bajirao Mastani" actress is slaying it as the tattoo clad Serena in Vin Diesel's "XXX: The Return of Xander Cage." The on-set pictures, mostly shared by director DJ Caruso, have gone viral. Slated for a Jan. 20, 2017 release, the action flick also stars Nina Dobrev and Ruby Rose.