MANILA, Philippines — Mark Reyes V said that the upcoming continuation show "Encantadia Chronicles: Sang'gre" is in the "thick of production" and that fans should watch out for surprising casting for the much-anticipated show.
Philstar.com caught up with the director last Thursday at the opening reception for the Japanese Film Festival 2024, which is screening films at the Shangri-La Plaza until February 11.
Related Stories
"We are working on it. We are taking our time to really polish and create it. We're now in the thick of production. We're putting up the sets. We're fixing the costumes," shared the director.
He was accompanied by Radson Flores and Matt Lozano, his stars on "Voltes V: Legacy," the only Filipino-made film included in this year's lineup. "Voltes V: Legacy" released a cinematic version on May 5, 2023 prior to its release on the same month as a show on GMA-7.
The director said that he has seen the costumes for "Sang'gre" this week, which were tweaked to become "better."
"The cast is doing fight training. Some of the cast members are already shooting with us, already taping some scenes. But it's still a long way, but I'm sure they're going to be very excited with this version," he added.
Last year, Kelvin Miranda, Angel Guardian, Faith da Silva and Bianca Umali were revealed to be the next generation of gem keepers.
At this year's New Year's countdown party by GMA-7, the network revealed more show updates as customary, which included the announcement that the gem keepers from the 2016 "Encantadia" are reprising their roles.
Kylie Padilla, Sanya Lopez, Gabbi Garcia and Glaiza de Castro joined the four aforementioned stars in a promotional teaser video for the show.
Reyes said he cannot reveal more about the show, but teased about the other actors that would be part of the show, just like how Rhian Ramos' announcement as the villain Mitena was received.
"Just watch na lang. Ang daming twists, like 'OMG, he's part of it. OMG, she's part of it.' Madaming mga gano'n na mangyayari," he said.
He was asked if Deia (to be played by Angel Guardian) is the true air gem keeper, as some fans have speculated that she might not be the true or only keeper of the popular gem once held by the queens of Lireo, the most powerful kingdom in the realm of Encantadia.
As for its airing date, Reyes is tight-lipped but the show's premiere promised that the show will be worth the wait.
RELATED: Bianca Umali, Kelvin Miranda, Faith Da Silva, Angel Guardian topbill upcoming 'Encantadia' show