Anticipation is high for GMA Network‘s upcoming historical portal fantasy drama which reimagines the world of Jose Rizal‘s Spanish-era novels with a modern twist.
The network on Wednesday shared photos of the “Maria Clara at Ibarra” cast. The series is set to premiere on October 3 after the broadcast of “24 Oras.”
It will have a Generation Z point of view through its main character, Klay.
Portrayed by Barbie Forteza, Klay’s character is a nursing student who wakes up and finds herself in the world of “Noli Me Tangere” in 1887.
GMA also described Klay as the “Gen Z Maria Clara.”
Crisostomo Ibarra, Noli’s main character, will be portrayed by Dennis Trillo, while the Maria Clara of the novel will be played by Julie Anne San Jose.
Tirso Cruz III will star as Padre Damaso while Juancho Triviño will portray Padre Salvi.
Other cast members are Gilleth Sandico as socialite Doña Victorina, Andrea Torres as Sisa, Rocco Nacino as Elias, Ces Quesada as Tia Isabel and Juan Rodrigo as Kapitan Tiago.
Part of the Kapuso network’s promotional for the series reads:
“Ano ang magiging reaksyon ng mga tauhan ng Noli Me Tangere pag napadpad sa kanilang mundo ang isang Gen Z?! At higit sa lahat, makakabalik pa ba si Klay sa mundo niyang kinabibilangan?”
The Facebook post revealing the cast has earned a whopping number of 67,000 likes and love reactions, 34,000 shares and over 3,300 comments.
Some Filipinos are hopeful that the upcoming series can enhance the youth’s interest in history, particularly in Rizal’s novels.
“SUPER INTERESTING ‘TO, GMA! Sana dahil dito maintindihan ko ‘yung modules namin nung Grade 9 about Noli,” a Facebook user commented.
“Asahan nating makakatulong ito sa Grade 9 Filipino teachers na gawin itong isang instrumento sa kanilang pagtuturo sa kwentong Noli Me Tangere, at siyempre sa lahat ng mga manonood na mas maunawaan pang lalo ang kwento! Maraming salamat sa lahat ng utak ng seryeng ito! Napaka-matalinong proyekto!” another Pinoy said.
“Finally, meron naman something na hindi about sa mga kabit, mga nawawalang anak, love story ng isang mayaman at mahirap, agawan yaman at gantihan. A new approach para maintindihan ng kabataan kahit paano ano ‘yung mga inaaral nila,” said a different online user.
Others commented that the upcoming drama reminds them of the “I Love You Since 1892” book series written by “Binibining Mia.”
It originally appeared on Wattpad and was also published by ABS-CBN Books.
The series features a female character from 2016 who finds herself in another era and falls in love with a powerful gobernadorcillo’s son.
“It’s giving me ILY 1892 vibes,” a Facebook user said.
“Parang I Love You Since 1892 ang peg,” wrote another Pinoy.
“This is the closest thing we can ever get for an ‘I Love You Since 1892’ series,” a different Facebook user wrote.
The Kapuso network is known for producing historical period dramas such as “Amaya,” “Indio,” “Katipunan” and “Ilustrado.”
