Following Take Off (2017), Mahesh Narayanan started working on his second directorial with Dulquer Salmaan in the lead. However, that project was put on hold and he moved on to another film. In May 2019, it was reported that Mahesh has cast Fahadh Faasil and Parvathy Thiruvothu in his new film, whom he had directed in Take Off. Sanu John Varghese was hired as cinematographer and Sushin Shyam as the composer, who revealed the film's title as Malik. The filmmakers announced an ensemble cast of Biju Menon, Nimisha Sajayan, Vinay Forrt, Jalaja, Dileesh Pothan and Indrans being part of the project, while Menon was replaced by Joju George in December. It was reportedly made under an estimated budget of crore, becoming Fahadh's most expensive film to date. According to Narayan, "at its core, Malik is a political thriller".
