Recently, aswang, kapre, tikbalang, and other creatures hit the screen after the release of Netflix’s animated series “Trese,” but the conquest of Filipino mythological creatures is not yet over with the TV remake of ’80s hit movie “Puto”.
This comedy-fantasy TV series is about Juan “Uno” Dela Cruz, who is portrayed by McCoy de Leon, a bullied teen who realizes he is half-duwende.
Uno is the son of Ivanhoe “Puto” Dela Cruz, who will be portrayed again by Herbert Bautista.
Like his father when he was a student then, Uno was constantly bullied by Nico (portrayed by Andrew Muhlach) and his other classmates. Confronted by challenges in life, Uno discovers that he has magical powers which can shake the lives of people around him.
The duwende trio from the original film is also back but this time in the persona of the Beks Battalion’s Chad Kinis, MC Calaquian, and Lassy Marquez, where they will play as Mamitas.
In the movie, the three elves were rescued by Puto but for the series, they will take on human form to take care of Uno and serve as his mother figures.
“Puto” also features celebrities such as Rafa Siguion-Reyna as Ramon, Uno’s professor; Andrea Babierra and Bob Jbeili as Alex and Elong, best friends of Uno; and Carlyn Ocampo as Joy, love interest of Uno.
When asked about what makes Puto special, Bautista said “Hindi siya malayo [from the original movie] but yung flavor is different.”
For the fans of the ’80s film, the series will definitely bring nostalgia as some of the notable personalities from the original movie are part of the ensemble.
This includes Gelli De Belen (former schoolmates Mindy, who is now a cook in Uno’s school’s canteen), Bing Loyzaga (Tere, now a life insurance agent and self-proclaimed plantita), and Janno Gibbs (Puto’s best friend Juanito).
The film is directed by Raynier Brizuela, who was behind the independent film LSS “Last Song Syndrome” starring Gabbi Garcia and Khalil Ramos.
The show will air every Saturday, at 6 p.m., starting June 19 on TV5.
It can also be watched every Sunday at 5 p.m. beginning June 20 on Sari Sari Channel, available on Cignal channel 3 and SatLite channel 30. Viewers can also access the show through TV5’s livestream on the Cignal Play app.