Polis Evo (film series)

Polis Evo is a Malaysian buddy cop action comedy film series. It was created by producer Joel Soh, along with Kyle Goonting and Anwari Ashraf, all of whom were previously Astro Scholarship Students. The films are produced and distributed by Astro Shaw, and star Shaheizy Sam as Inspector Khai and Zizan Razak as Inspector Sani.

The trilogy set multiple box office records in Malaysia. The first film, *Polis Evo* (2015), was the highest-grossing Malaysian film for two years (2015–2016). Its sequel, *Polis Evo 2* (2018), faced controversy when it was alleged to contain scenes offensive to Islam, leading to a boycott movement led by PAS Committee head Dr. Riduan Md Nor. Despite this, the film was later praised for its theme and Hasnul Rahmat’s performance. The final film, *Polis Evo 3* (2023), set records for the biggest opening on its first day, first four days, and first week, and was praised for the performances of its cast, especially Farali Khan and Sharnaaz Ahmad. As of the third film’s release on 25 May 2023, the franchise is the number one film series in Malaysia of all time, with a worldwide gross of over RM95.16 million.

The series was developed after a low point for Malay-language cinema. Joel Soh, Kyle Goonting, and Anwari Ashraf Hashim, returning from their studies as Astro Scholarship Program students, began writing the script in 2014. Soh revealed that the writers—himself, Goonting, Anwari, and Adib Zaini—chose the word "EVO" to mean "evolution of police's image to the cinema." The script was 180 pages long, similar to a novel. Ghaz Abu Bakar, known for directing *Cicak Man 3*, was appointed director for the first film. He stated that the film was "not made for film festivals" and that he reduced comedy scenes out of respect for the Royal Malaysia Police. Principal photography for the first film began in September 2014 in Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur, with Shaheizy Sam and Zizan Razak cast as the buddy cop duo to balance action and comedy. Other characters were cast during shooting, including Hushairi Husain and Amerul Affendi.

For the second film, Joel Soh replaced Ghaz as director. Erra Fazira, Raline Shah, and Hairul Azreen joined the cast, while Sam and Zizan reprised their roles. Zizan fell unwell and was later injured performing his own stunt.