MANILA, Philippines, February 19 ------ Kapamilya actor Jericho Rosales has been tapped to portray the titular role in Jerrold Tarog's "Quezon" for TBA Studios. The film is a continuation of the studio's "Bayaniverse" of movies about Philippine history, which includes the epics "Heneral Luna" and "Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral," both directed and co-written by Tarog. Benjamin Alves previously portrayed a young Quezon in the previous "Bayaniverse" movies. TJ Trinidad played the Philippine president in "Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral," while Raymond Bagatsing played Quezon in 2018's "Quezon's Game."
The production company previously announced production is set to begin this March with a target theatrical release later this year, and began teasing which actor would play the second president of the Philippines. The movie is expected to follow the life of Quezon, who was a lawyer and soldier prior to governing the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944, particularly his tumultuous presidential campaign against predecessor Emilio Aguinaldo. "Quezon" also marks Rosales' return to big screen since "The Girl in the Orange Dress" from 2018 opposite Jessy Mendiola. "Here, you will see Quezon as a person. He's not written as a hero. He is cunning, he is charming, he is intelligent," Rosales said in a statement. "Quezon is such an interesting character to play; there are so many things I can put into the role to build Quezon as a character. That adds to the pressure, but at the same time I am very excited."
Tarog additionally revealed that Rosales previously auditioned for the titular role in 2015's "Heneral Luna" which eventually went to John Arcilla. Alves will also reprise his role as young Quezon while Mon Confiado is returning to play Aguinaldo. Joining Rosales, Alves, and Confiado are Karylle as Aurora Quezon, Romnick Sarmenta as Sergio Osmeña, JC Santos as Manuel Roxas, and Cris Villanueva as the older fictional character Joven Hernando, with more announcements to come.
TBA Studios President Daphne Chiu previously said "Quezon" would be a stand-alone film while existing in the "Bayaniverse," making it accessible to anyone who haven not seen "Heneral Luna" or "Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral." The Film Development Council of the Philippines announced last year a funding support for the film, which is also backed by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
Source: philstar.com
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