Director Erik Matti, producer Dondon Monteverde, and Kapamilya actor Coco Martin have joined forces to produce two upcoming action films: On the Job: Maghari and Maypagasa: The Battles of Andres Bonifacio.
The collaboration between Martin’s CCM Productions and Monteverde and Matti’s Reality Entertainment was announced on Oct. 14. The projects are set for release in 2026 and 2027.
On the Job: Maghari serves as a prequel to the first two On the Job films and will follow the story of Tatang, or Mario Maghari, played by Joel Torre in the original movie. Meanwhile, Maypagasa will focus on the struggles of revolutionary hero Andres Bonifacio and explore the reasons behind his defeats in battle.
During the media launch, Martin shared that working with Matti and Monteverde had been a long-time dream.
“I waited a long time for this. I’ve always wanted to work with them,” he said in the vernacular.
The actor recalled watching On the Job and Buy Bust and hoping to be noticed by the team behind those films.
“I used to wait for their call. But it never came. I thought maybe I wasn’t enough yet,” Martin said in jest.
Monteverde and Martin first connected in August during the first death anniversary of Regal Entertainment matriarch Lily Monteverde. At the event, Monteverde asked Leah Calmerin to help arrange a meeting with Martin to discuss possible collaborations.
When they finally met, ideas flowed easily, according to the primetime action star.
“They had other projects to pitch,” Martin said. “But while we were talking, I told them I’ve been waiting for their call because I’m such a big fan of On the Job and Buy Bust. Then Sir Dondon mentioned, ‘We have an OTJ project.’ Maybe he thought, ‘He could be a good fit.’”
Since then, Martin said, they have been meeting weekly to refine the projects.
“Every time we meet, the story grows. After that, we started thinking about how to make the project bigger, not just for the Philippines but also for the global audience, and how to present Filipino craftsmanship,” he said.
Martin also revealed that he had turned down previous offers to adapt Korean dramas for television.
“I was offered to do adaptations of Korean dramas before, but I declined. I am simply not a fan. What I wanted was to be part of something made by Filipinos and something that we can export internationally that bears our identity as a country,” he explained.
Meanwhile, members of the showbiz press asked how big the projects were going to be, but Monteverde declined to reveal the budget for Maypagasa, though he shared that it would feature five major war scenes.
Martin also kept details about the cast under wraps but said the lineup would surprise audiences.
“Even from the casting stage, you should already feel curious to watch the film. We’re making sure this will feature combinations of actors you’ve never seen together before,” he said.
