Coco Martin is wearing various hats in his latest action-adventure film Ang Panday, now showing as an entry to the 43rd Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).It is screening outside the Philippines via TFC@theMovies.
“Mahirap po pala (It was hard)”, Martin mused when asked about his directing debut.
“Pangarap ko po talaga maging direktor (I have always dreamed of becoming a director)” he shares. “Kapag gusto mo ang ginagawa mo kahit gaano kahirap ine-enjoy mo ‘yong bawat moment nang ginagawa mo (When you love what you do, despite the challenges, you will enjoy every moment of it).”
Aside from directing the film under his real name Rodel Nacianceno, he was also the one who developed the story of the film with Joel Mercado, which is the very first live-action film adaptation of Ang Panday – the character created by Carlo J. Caparas and artist Steve Gan made popular by the late Fernando Poe Jr..
His active involvement as creative consultant of FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano greatly forged his skill as a storyteller.
In this 2017 epic comeback of the iconic Pinoy superhero, Martin plays Flavio III – the grandson of the original Panday. His life suddenly turns upside down when he realizes that his bloodline is destined to save humanity from the evil doings of Panday’s immortal evil nemesis Lizardo (Jake Cuenca), who comes back from the world of darkness to once again bring havoc to the human race.
With Flavio III not knowing that his bloodline is the only one capable of destroying Lizardo, he will have to scour different worlds to be able to gain the trust of the mythical power of the legendary sword. And like the original beloved hero,Flavio III gets to meet various characters that will help him become the rightful heir to the revered name Ang Panday.
Conceptualizing the story, Martin had in mind his viewers, especially the younger generation to whom he wanted to introduce the legacy Fernando Poe Jr.
“Sobrang iniba ko po siya, kasi gusto ko ma-appreciate siya ang mga kabataan ngayon at siyempre ng henerasyon ng mga tatay”, he states. “Kasi ang dami ng versions ng Ang Panday, so ginawa ko parang karugtong siya ng kuwento. Kaya ‘yong Flavio na ginampanan ni FPJ, ako ‘yong apo niya, ‘yon ang bagong kuwento ng Ang Panday.”