The original film starred Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi and was loosely based on the rise of Haji Mastan and Dawood Ibrahim. The sequel takes the story forward but Akshay has replaced the original cast.
Luthria says he is aware of the expectations surrounding the sequel.
"I know the kind of expectations that everyone has from the sequel. OUATIM 2 is different from a regular franchise product as this time around the same story is being carried forward," Luthria told PTI.
The director shared quite a rapport with Ajay after working with him in films like `Kachche Dhaage`, `Chori Chori` and `OUATIM` but his character died in the original. And Luthria is now looking forward to work with Akshay for the first time in the gangster flick.
"As a director it helps you immensely when your actor is super charged about a film. Akshay is super excited about OUATIM 2. He can`t wait for the film to go on floors," says Luthria.
The director is currently busy shooting `Dirty Picture`, which is a biopic of Southern movie siren Silk Smitha.
"It is still early days to comment on how do we take forward the story of OUATIM 2. I have to first finish `The Dirty Picture`. While I would be preparing for its release, ground work on `Once Upon A Time....` sequel would be in full swing."