On March 17, Filipino Game of Thrones fans were greeted by a pleasant surprise when TBA Studios announced that Scottish actor Iain Glen would be joining the cast of the highly anticipated historical biopic Quezon.
Glen, who played disgraced knight Ser Jorah Mormont on the popular fantasy drama series, has been cast as Leonard Wood, the United States Army major who acted as the Governor-General of the Philippines. Although TBA Studios has yet to disclose the specifics of Glen’s role, history shows that Wood’s tenure as Governor-General from 1921 to 1927 was marked by his deep entanglement with the rift between former President Manuel L. Quezon and his vice president at the time, Don Sergio Osmeña Sr. Despite Quezon’s criticism of Wood’s presence in the Philippines, the former president once remarked, “He was always courteous to me. He was a hard working chief executive and always determined in his purpose to do the right thing as he saw it.”
Directed by Jerrold Tarog, Quezon will be the latest addition to TBA Studios’ “Bayaniverse,” a film series that showcases pivotal figures in Philippine history. While the first two films, Heneral Luna and Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral, centered on the lives of generals Antonio Luna and Gregorio del Pilar, Quezon will focus on the former president’s early years as a lawyer and soldier before taking office. The film has generated significant buzz, marking the first release in the franchise in seven years, following Goyo in 2018.
Glen will be joining an all-star cast, with Filipino leading man Jericho Rosales set to play the former president. Meanwhile, Filipino singer and actress Karylle Yuzon will portray Quezon’s wife, Aurora. Reprising their roles in the franchise’s earlier films are Mon Confiado and Benjamin Alves, who will be playing Emilio Aguinaldo and the younger version of Quezon, respectively.
“We are very honored to have Iain Glen in Quezon,” said TBA Studios President and COO Daphne O. Chiu in the official statement. “This film is shaping up to be one of the biggest productions in Philippine cinema, with one of the largest casts ever assembled. We are excited to share with Iain—and the rest of the world—the production scale and level of artistry that Filipino filmmakers are capable of.”
