Erik Matti is branching out into the world of national heroes. On October 14, the director announced that one of his upcoming projects will be a historical biopic centered on Andres Bonifacio, starring Coco Martin as the young revolutionary leader.
The film, May Pagasa: The Battles of Andres Bonifacio, is set to be released in 2027. While Matti has yet to reveal any specific plot details, he made it clear that his retelling of the story of the Father of the Philippine Revolution will not be “a movie that sanctifies historical accuracy.”
The filmmaker alluded to not shooting it as a typical period piece, blending in elements of rock music and “updates” to ensure that the story is more about what’s happening today. One of these updates, as Matti mentions, is a scene where Bonifacio meets José Rizal to have his copy of Noli Me Tangere signed.
“Siyempre, that’s why I’m saying we’re writing for modern times,” Matti told Rolling Stone Philippines. “We don’t really know… but we wanted to highlight the fact that he was a big fan of Rizal: that Rizal was the reason why he kept thinking about revolution.” The director also revealed that the biopic will explore the varying stories surrounding Bonifacio’s death.
But at its core, May Pagasa aims to provide a flawed, human portrayal of the national hero. “More than just the exciting parts of Bonifacio’s story that we always see in a lot of [other] biopics, this one focuses totally on Bonifacio himself,” said Matti. “Why did he fail as a hero? [The movie] discusses his social class, too, because he couldn’t find a way into the same [circle] as other academics and heroes like Rizal.”
Matti emphasized that the movie will focus on Bonifacio’s shortcomings, especially on the battlefield. “People always say, ‘Oh, laging talo si Bonifacio, laging hindi nananalo,’” said Matti. “But here, we really dissect the main reasons why he couldn’t win a battle. It’s because there was resistance even from fellow Filipinos. The main enemy in the story is how hard it really is to unify Filipinos together and have the same goals.”
May Pagasa is not Matti’s only upcoming release. On the Job: Maghari, the prequel to the 2013 thriller, also stars Martin and is set to release in Philippine cinemas in 2026.
The Bonifacio film is being prepped for 2026 but Maghari will be shot first. “But we have the script for it already. Maghari is being written now,” said Matti.
