The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Boy Villasanta
How an action star and a screen villain in Efren Reyes, Jr. makes the life of the late rock star April Boy Regino an eternal piece of biopic?
How can an award-winning actor in Efren Reyes, Jr. preserve and repose the music of April Boy as an artist of the masses?
Simply put, by directing them.
After a big lull in his directing career that started in 1997 via a big screen work called “Sa’yo ang Itaas, sa Akin ang Ibaba…ng bahay” which starred bombshells Rita Magdalena and Izza Ignacio, Efren is given a directorial break anew by the revived Water Plus Productions in “Idol The April Boy Regino Story.”
Although the vehicle had taken a backseat in 2020 because of the restrictive moves imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic to the local audio-visual industry, it has greenlit this year by the production house of Marynette Gamboa.
While the outfit has been searching for an actor to play April Boy, Reyes, Jr. is busy conceptualizing the entire look of the project and coming to terms with the challenges of honing back his directing chores.
Efren has proven his worth as an actor who has learned a lot in the filmmaking process and is ready to embark again in directing.
“I want to present a lasting image of April Boy Regino to the public,” said Reyes.
There are three good reasons why an April Boy Regino filmbio is an essential work to immortalize the pop icon.
“First, his life resonates with the majority of Filipinos especially his rags-to-riches narrative.
“Second, April Boy’s music should always be alive as an appealing creation of pop culture.
“Third, lessons in life imparted by April Boy to the public like his renewed faith after moral disintegration of bucking down to life’s challenges,” enumerated Jun, Efren’s pet name.