Big-budget series, well thought-out action stunts, and filmed with an intention to bring viewers a ground breaking concept. These were some of the interesting phrases that Mark Reyes, the director of The Cure, which is airing tonight on GMA, came up with when asked to describe the primetime series.
Manila Standard had an intimate afternoon with Reyes during a set visit a few weeks ago. The director, whose impressive resume includes television series My Korean Jagiya, and Encantadia, and films Mulawin The Movie and Resiklo, to name a few, talked about how The Cure is different from his previous works and what makes it a stand out in the fantasy and drama-saturated primetime.
“First of all, contrary to what some people say when the trailer came out, The Cure is not a zombie series. We are in the zombie genre but there are no zombies here. We have the “infected” people who after getting infected they become rabid and manifest the strength of a gorilla or a rabid dog. They no longer have the human conscience or compassion anymore. They just want to spread the virus,” Reyes started.
“When we were starting off, people had the impression that it’s a small show but I knew from the start that it’s going to be a big project,” he added.
The Cure’s premise is set on an experimental drug that kills cancer cells. However, its side effect causes a deeper problem—the mutation of a dangerous and highly contagious virus called the Monkey Virus Disease or MVD wherein anyone infected begins to have seizures and becomes rabid and violent. Soon, law and order is non-existent as the disease spreads not only in the city, but also throughout the entire country. Now more than ever, it is crucial to find the very thing that would save everyone—a cure.
“If I had epic scenes in Encantadia, I have 200 rabid people in this abandoned warehouse in Batangas, they’re running…Apart from the drama, it’s all about big scenes. It’s a story of survival—survival of humans, survival of family, survival of two people in love, it’s a bigger picture. It’s fresh, it’s new, and the whole essence of a suspense-drama is here,” Reyes stated.
The series has a cinematic approach as the director uses film cameras for taping and they incorporated a gorilla to the storyline and used Animatronics.
“There are so many firsts in this series. I think, that makes it a series to watch out for,” he said.
Jennylyn Mercado and Tom Rodriguez headline the series as Charity and Gregory Salvador, a happily married couple. Charity used to be a registered nurse, but she left her job to focus on her husband and only daughter, Hope. Greg is the family provider, working as a Clinical Research Associate in an international pharmaceutical laboratory. They both live a peaceful life, until Greg’s mother is diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer.
Playing equally vital roles are Jaclyn Jose, Mark LJ Reyes, Ken Chan, Jay Manalo, Irma Adlawan, Ronnie Henares, Glenda Garcia, Diva Montelaba, Arra San Agustin, and Leanne Bautista.
Behind the series is the creative team composed of creative director Roy Iglesias, creative head RJ Nuevas, creative consultant Denoy Navarro Punio, headwriter Richard Cruz, writers Luningning Ribay, Glaiza Ramirez and Lobert Villela and brainstormers Tina Velasco and Pam Miras.
The Cure is created by the GMA Entertainment Content Group under the supervision of Senior Vice President for ECG Lilybeth G. Rasonable, Vice President for Drama Redgie A. Magno, Assistant Vice President for Drama Cheryl Ching-Sy, Senior Program Manager Cathy O. Perez and Executive Producer Winnie Reyes.
