Jerrold Tarog's Quezon Is Finally Coming Out This Year
TBA Studios announced today, January 16, 2025, that Jerrold Tarog's highly anticipated movie, Quezon, is all set for filming this March, with a target theatrical release later in the year both locally and worldwide.
Quezon is a biographical historical film about the former President of the Philippines, Manuel L. Quezon. This narrative, in particular, is set to highlight his presidential campaign against then-President Emilio Aguinaldo.
It's not to be confused with Quezon’s Game, a 2018 biographical drama film directed by Matthew Rosen, produced by ABS-CBN Film Productions and Kinetek Productions, and distributed by Star Cinema. It starred Raymond Bagatsing as Quezon, who, in 1938, set out to rescue Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany.
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TBA Studios' Bayaniverse: Quezon, Goyo, Heneral Luna
Quezon comes after Heneral Luna (2015) and Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral (2018), both directed by Tarog and part of what TBA Studios calls its "Bayaniverse."
In true multiverse fashion, hints about Quezon were first seen in the surprise post-credits scene of Goyo. The full movie starring Paulo Avelino is available on YouTube; scroll to the 2:23:40, where Joven Hernando (Arron Villaflor), a journalist we first saw in Heneral Luna, is still alive and rescued by Kiko and Capt. Eduardo Rusca (Archie Alemania), Luna's aide. In the next sequence, in 1935, in Kawit, Cavite, two boys get out of a car and put up campaign posters of Quezon in front of Emilio Aguinaldo's (Mon Confiado) home. The camera pans to the driver's and passenger's seats, where Eduardo Rusca (Alemania) and an older Joven Hernando (Chris Villanueva) give a mocking salute to Aguinaldo, who's standing by the window. Joven is a fictional character in the Bayaniverse.
Mon Confiado as Emilio Aguinaldo in the post-credits scene of 'Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral' (2018)
Despite this teaser six years ago and the presence of key figures, TBA Studios President and COO Daphne Chiu said in a press release that casting for the movie's major and supporting roles is currently underway and will be announced soon. The production added that the "cast will feature names that will surprise and excite audiences and hardcore fans of the Bayaniverse alike." In Goyo, Benjamin Alves played Quezon, the young lieutenant; and then TJ Trinidad as the older Quezon in 1935.
Archie Alemania as Eduardo Rusca and Chris Villanueva as older Joven Hernando in the post-credits scene of 'Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral' (2018)
While Quezon is part of the trilogy and within the same continuity as Heneral Luna and Goyo, Chiu added that the film will be made accessible to moviegoers who have not seen the earlier films.
Early Stages in the Production
During an online panel amid the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Tarrog explained that Quezon's story will span decades of historical events. He even described the movie's structure as "four short films" in that interview with filmmakers called "Kuwentuhan Lang," spearheaded by Cinema '76 in collaboration with Lockdown Cinema Club.
"Lahat iyon, tungkol sa kung paano siya nag-attain ng power. Parang chess game sa kaniya ang politics, e. In fact, marami siyang mga sinabi na, 'You shouldn't take politics too seriously.' Parang nilalaro niya lang 'yung mga tao. Iyon 'yung pinakatema, kung paano niya na-manipulate 'yung sistema to keep himself in power," he said less than five years ago.
The filmmaker also said that he imagined the film to be satirical or comedic. Tarrog added that it was so far the "most difficult" to write.
On January 20, 2021, Tarrog wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "Kakatapos lang script. Tingnan natin kung i-aprub." It included a photo of the script, co-written by Rody Vera, with a draft date of January 19, 2021.
The 2025 production of Quezon is supported by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP). FDCP announced in June 2024 that Quezon is part of their CreatePHFilms Funding Program.
Quezon is TBA Studio's first major film production since 2020. Post-pandemic, they focused on film distribution, bringing Everything, Everywhere All At Once (2022), Past Lives (2023), and Triangle of Sadness (2022) to Philippine cinemas.
