Series and movies have been keeping us company for years. Aside from being a form of relaxation, it is also an escape that allows us to reset and forget our problems for a while.
Apart from popular foreign series, we also enjoy watching our local creations because who understands the Filipino better than the Filipino?
There’s nothing like swooning to words like “mahal kita” or laughing at Filipino humor that we can oh-so-relate to—looking for local offerings to watch? If so, make sure to check out the local adaption of Flower of Evil.
The original k-drama’s accolades include the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards, 2021 Best Director for Kim Cheol-kyu, and the Asia Artist Awards, 2020 Best Artist Award, and Asia Celebrity for Lee Joon-gi.
The show was well-received by Korean viewers, with its season finale having the most real-time viewers during its airing. According to the Soompi report, the final episode of Flower of Evil scored an average nationwide rating of 5.7% and a peak of 6.2%.
Flower of Evil, a Viu Original Adaptation from the Philippines, follows the thrilling story of a man, Jacob del Rosario (Piolo Pascual), who successfully changes his identity to hide his scandalous past.
He then marries a police detective, Iris Castillo-del Rosario, who will later be tasked to investigate an unsolved serial murder case that will lead her back to him.
Filipino Adaptation of Flower of Evil Gets an All-Star Cast
There is much to look forward to in this upcoming drama-thriller. Co-leading the cast is sought-after actress Lovi Poe, who will play Iris Castillo-del Rosario.
Known for her work in Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow (2011) and Temptation Island (2011), this will be her first drama series as a Kapamilya. In an interview, she shares:
“It helps that we’re already huge fans of the show—well, I am! I feel pressured to do good, but I always consider this as something helpful because, sometimes, it’s when we’re in that state that we are able to create something beautiful.
“What’s important is that everything has to come from the heart. That’s what the directors always look for from their actors. For me, the moment that you feel it, you know you’re doing it right.”
On the other hand, Piolo Pascual, dubbed the Ultimate Leading Man, has been charming and touching the Filipino audience since the 90s, starring in hit after hit, including Milan (2004) and Dekada ‘70 (2022).
In terms of the charm and charisma needed for Jacob’s character, he’s got that covered. In 2013, he also starred in Erik Matti’s On the Job (2013), a neo-noir action thriller film where he plays a contract killer.
Piolo has also made his presence felt on television with projects like the horror-thriller-fantasy, Lobo (2008), and the romance-suspense series Apoy Sa Dagat (2013), among several others. Indeed, his versatility as an actor has been proven time and time again.
“There were a lot of things that I had to unlearn about myself, how I treat my work and how I approach my scenes, especially with Lovi. I just had to really feel her, as long as you know your parameters as your character, then you can easily let go. That’s what I learned when I did this. When I was able to let go, knowing how far I could go, I was able to let loose and be lost in a scene. So, I told myself, pwede pala.”
Piolo had also to undergo metal sculpture training to bring more authenticity to his character, who is a metal craft artisan. Flower of Evil will be Piolo Pascual’s first drama series after 4 four years following Since I Found You (2018).
Also in the cast are Denise Laurel (Grace), Joross Gamboa (Rico), Agot Isidro (Carmen), Edu Manzano (Henry), Joem Bascon (Dennis), Epy Quizon (Noel), Rita Avila (Gloria), Jett Pangan (Gerry), Pinky Amador (Maggie), Joko Diaz (Baldo), and JC de Vera (Andrew).
Are you excited for the Philippine version of Flower of Evil?
Flower of Evil is directed by Darnel Joy Villaflor (On the Wings of Love, 2015) and Richard Ibasco Arellano (La Luna Sangre, 2017-2018).
Darnel Villaflor explained that apart from the fact that Flower of Evil will be retold through Filipino lenses, this new adaptation will be targeted to a broad, international audience.
“This time kasi, we wanted to look at it na, we’re not just showing this to our Filipino audiences. It’s going global in a sense. Ibang mga lahi, ibang mga audiences, dapat ma-appreciate din nila ‘yung gawa natin,” Villaflor explained.
“Ang tingin mo ngayon sa proyekto ay hindi na lang para sa kapwa Pilipino, kundi para rin sa mga ibang tao sa iba’t ibang regions ng Viu at kung saan pa man makarating ang proyekto na ‘to. Ganu’n namin siya tinitingnan, kaya binigay namin ang lahat para sa programa.”
[We looked at the project, knowing that this is not just for the Filipino audience. That in a sense, we are indeed going global, having a more culturally diverse audience, and we want them to appreciate our show. This is a project meant to appeal to the audience in each of Viu’s markets and in other countries where this project may possibly be released. We looked at it from that perspective and gave it everything we’ve got.]
ABS-CBN and Viu’s collaboration strengthens their vision and commitment to bringing premium Asian entertainment to more viewers worldwide. The partnership kicked off early this year by streaming ABS-CBN’s hit drama series The Broken Marriage Vow on Viu.
Watch Flower of Evil first on Viu. New episodes drop weekly on Viu 48 hours ahead of its TV broadcast, every Thursday and Friday in 16 territories across Asia, the Middle East, and South Africa. It will also be shown on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, and A2Z beginning June 25 and will air every Saturday and Sunday.
Smart’s Giga K-Video promo lets subscribers watch up to 1GB of Viu content for as low as PHP 14 per day. To avail, download the GigaLife app now.
