Philippines media and entertainment company ABS-CBN is set to launch tentpole co-production The Bagman at this year’s Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) in Singapore, with the star of the series, Arjo Atayde, also attending the event.
Set to begin production in January, the eight-part action drama sees Atayde reprising his character Benjo Malaya from the original digital series Bagman 1 and Bagman 2, which were sold to Netflix Philippines.
The spin-off of the original digital series also stars John Arcilla, who won best actor at the Venice film festival for Erik Matti’s On The Job 2: The Missing 8, and Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo, who won best actress at Cairo International Film Festival for Brillante Mendoza’s Mindanao.
The new series is co-produced by ABS-CBN International Productions, Nathan Studios, Rein Entertainment and Dreamscape Entertainment.
Atayde also previously starred in ABS-CBN’s hit crime thriller series Cattleya Killer and movies including Matti’s BuyBust and Richard Somes’ Topakk (Trigger). He will be appearing at ABS-CBN’s booth on December 7 to promote The Bagman.
“As we continue to advocate for Filipino representation, we are thrilled to also be announcing the award-winning talent of Arjo, John, and Judy Ann who are now part of The Bagman,” said Ruel S. Bayani, ABS-CBN Head, International Productions.
“Filipino programming is continuing to grow and expand, and we are honored to be at the forefront in offering diverse new projects to meet the growing demands of the industry.”
The original Bagman series followed the character of Benjo Malaya, a neighborhood barber who lands a job as the governor’s henchman and gets caught up in a dangerous web of crime, corruption, and political turmoil.
In the spin-off, Malaya learns the tragic news about his missing family and is left with no choice but to return to the vicious underworld that he turned his back on and take on a new mission as a Bagman for the sitting president of the Republic of the Philippines to stop an impending civil war.
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ABS-CBN Arjo Atayde