The Philippines’ ABS-CBN is to launch its new series “The Bagman” at next month’s ATF market in Singapore. Series star Arjo Atayde will attend as part of the promotional team.
“The Bagman” is a spin-off from the original, locally-produced digital series “Bagman” that was aimed at the Filipino audience. The new series is intended as an international co-production. The Philippines companies already on board include ABS-CBN International Productions, Nathan Studios, Rein Entertainment and Dreamscape Entertainment.
The original digital series, “Bagman 1 and 2,” which sold to Netflix Philippines, follows the story of Benjo Malaya, a neighborhood barber who landed a job as the governor’s henchman and gets caught up in a dangerous web of crime, corruption, and political turmoil.
In the new “The Bagman” series Malaya, now a convicted prisoner and former governor, learns tragic news about his missing family. He is left with no choice but to return to the vicious underworld that he turned his back on. He takes on a new mission, this time, as a bagman for the sitting president of the Republic of the Philippines to stop an impending civil war.
The series also stars John Arcilla (“On the Job 2: The Missing 8,” “The Bourne Legacy”) and Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo (“Mindanao”). Casting is now completed and production is set to begin in January. The show will be structured as a series with eight episodes, each of one hour.
“Having initially announced ‘The Bagman’ in March of this year, the timing could not be better to now be offering worldwide sales at ATF for our suspenseful, gripping, and fast-moving drama series,” said Ruel S. Bayani, head of international productions at ABS-CBN. “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. Filipino programming is continuing to grow and expand.
ABS-CBN, once the largest broadcaster in The Philippines, has reinvented itself as a content production company after it was stripped of its broadcast licenses by former president Duterte. It previously enjoyed production success with “Cattleya Killer.”
