Philippine Showbiz Today PST Vol 13 NO 01 | Page 9

Philippine Showbiz Today January 8 - 21, 2018 Jan. 22-Feb.7, 2015 Cover Story 9 Fantasy and reality collide stunningly in Ang Panday Witness a spectacular fu- sion of the real world and fan- tasia via the outstanding spe- cial effects employed in the creation of “Ang Panday” (The Blacksmith), which will be seen in theaters across the U.S. and Canada starting Friday, January 12. In this 2017 epic comeback of the iconic Filipino hero, Coco Martin plays Flavio III, the grand- son of the original Panday.  His life will suddenly turn upside down when he realizes that his bloodline is destined to save hu- manity from the evil doings of Lizardo (Jake Cuenca), his im- mortal evil nemesis. Lizardo returns from the world of darkness to once again bring havoc to the human race. With Flavio III not knowing that his bloodline is the only one capable of destroying Lizardo, he must scour different worlds to be able to gain the trust of the mythical power of the leg- endary sword. Like the original beloved hero, Flavio III gets to meet various characters who will join forces to help him be- come the rightful heir to the re- Coco Martin Mariel de Leon Kylie Verzosa Jake Cuenca vered name “Ang Panday.” “Ang Panday” also marks the directorial debut of Martin under his real name Rodel Na- cianceno. Aside from directing, Martin also produced and co- wrote the action-fantasy flick under his own film production outfit, CCM Film Productions, together with Star Cinema and Viva Films. In the movie, Martin’s lead- ing ladies are Binibining Pilipi- nas International 2017 Mariel de Leon who plays Maria, Flavio’s love interest, and Miss Interna- tional 2016 Kylie Verzosa, who plays a diwata (fairy). “Ang Panday” received the following awards at the Metro Manila Film Festival last De- cember: FPJ Memorial Award for Excellence, Best in Visual Ef- fects, Children’s Choice Award, and the Special Jury Award (Di- recting) for Martin (Rodel Na- cianceno). This is a film for the whole family to enjoy. “Ang Panday” can be seen in theaters across the U.S. and Canada starting Friday, January 12. ●