Jericho Rosales marks his film comeback after seven years, taking on the titular role for TBA studio’s historical biopic film ‘Quezon.’
The film is set to be part of the studio’s ‘Bayaniverse,’ an installation of movies centered around Filipino heroes during the time of colonization and war. The series started back in 2015 with ‘Heneral Luna’ followed by the 2018 production of ‘Goyo: The Boy General.’ All of these films, including the upcoming Manuel Quezon biopic, was directed and co-written by Jerrold Tarog.
Set to play the role Manuel L. Quezon, Rosales had big shoes to fill to bring the former president’s story to life. Quezon preceded Emilio Aguinaldo and has since become the first president of the Philippine Commonwealth under the democratic tutelage of the United States in 1935.
Rosales shared that the film’s storytelling will take on a different angle, “Here, you will see Quezon as a person. He’s not written as a hero. He is cunning, he is charming, he is intelligent.” He added that he seeks to add his own artistic touch on the character, all the while feeling excited and pressured at the same time.
Joining the cinematic universe of Philippine historical icons is perhaps a dream come true for Rosales. Tarog even revealed that Rosales previously auditioned for the titular role in ‘Heneral Luna,’ which was later on played by John Arcilla.
Rosales received a warm welcome from the previous films. In an Instagram post, Benjamin Alves, who will reprise his role as young Quezon, humored his followers with a photo of him and Rosales all posed with the twenty-peso bill where Quezon’s figure is imprinted in. He captioned, “Welcome to the Bae-yani Universe, Señor Presidente!”
Renowned actors are also set to join in the ensemble of cast. Mon Confiado will once again assume his role as Emilio Aguinaldo. Meanwhile, viewers are to be greeted with newcomers in the ‘Bayaniverse.’ Karylle Tatlonghari-Yuzon will star opposite Rosales as the former first lady, Aurora Quezon, Romnick Sarmenta as Sergio Osmeña, and JC Santos as Manuel Roxas. The full cast lineup is yet to be announced.
Whether or not viewers have seen ‘Heneral Luna’ or ‘Goyo,’ TBA studios assured that ‘Quezon’ would be a stand-alone film. With growing anticipation, the film film is set to begin production this coming March and is eyeing a late 2025 release date.
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