GMA Artist Center rebrands as Sparkle
SINCE ITS launch in 1995, the GMA Artist Center has produced some of the most successful names in Philippine showbiz including Alden Richards, Heart Evangelista, Julie Anne San Jose, Barbie Forteza, and Ken Chan, to name a few. This year, the GMA Artist Center gets a new name: Sparkle. With the name change, GMA aims to “light a fun and exciting spark in the entertainment industry all while evolving to fit the ever-changing new media and digital landscape.” The artists development center is headed by Johnny Manahan together with Gigi Santiago-Lara, Senior Assistant Vice-President for Alternative Productions. Moving forward, GMA Artist Center’s webpage and official social media accounts will be revamped and receive the Sparkle treatment.
Globe Studios transforms into ANIMA
GLOBE STUDIOS, the production house behind critically acclaimed Filipino films such as Fangirl, Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral, and Dead Kids, is rolling its closing credits as it transforms into a new organization: ANIMA. It is now under the umbrella of Kroma Entertainment, Inc., a new entertainment company backed by the Globe Group of Companies. “Our new name signifies the changes we will be offering to the public as we venture into a new era of entertainment. We wanted something that feels more apt to the industry and medium we deeply care for. It was so hard for us to let go of the name Globe Studios because we’ve done and achieved so much in our five years of existence, but I believe we can only go onward and upward with ANIMA,” studio head Quark Henares said in a statement. Among the studio’s upcoming films for the year is Ang Pagbabalik ng Kuwago, the first Filipino feature film to premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in more than 15 years. Box office hit director Antonette Jadaone is also working on the Hintayan ng Langit spinoff series Simula sa Gitna, starring Maris Racal and Kit Thompson. ANIMA is also strengthening collaborations with One Championship, WeTV, Netflix, and HBO Go. The team is also experimenting with other formats and genres. It is already visible in the podcasts Nandito Sila and Come Home. “We are always on the lookout for how we can tell Filipino stories better — be it through the silver screen, black box, or handheld devices. It’s the stories that matter, and the way we get them to you. We’re doubling down on that with ANIMA, so you can expect more stuff on YouTube, on Spotify, on TikTok. Wherever!” Mr. Henares said. For more information, visit anima.ph.
ABS-CBN unveils 2022 show lineup
ABS-CBN has unveiled its line-up of shows for 2022, led by Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla’s 2 Good 2 Be True; the Philippine adaptation of the BBC drama series Doctor Foster titled The Broken Marriage Vow, starring Jodi Sta. Maria and Zanjoe Marudo; Loisa Andalio and Ronnie Alonte’s Love in 40 Days; and the film The Breakup Trip starring Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil. Also in the lineup are Darna: The TV Series starring Jane De Leon; My Papa Pi starring Piolo Pascual and Angelica Panganiban; a new season of I Can See Your Voice hosted by Luis Manzano; and the recently announced new offerings of iWantTFC, led by season 2 of Donny Pangilinan and Belle Mariano’s He’s Into Her. This year’s lineup also includes ABS-CBN Entertainment’s original series with iQiyi, which are Saying Goodbye, starring Seth Fedelin and Andrea Brillantes, and Hello Heart, with Gerald Anderson and Gigi de Lana.
Universal Pictures releases 2022 slate
UNIVERSAL Pictures International’s first quarter slate includes stories of passion and fashion, speed and greed, music, extravagance, and romance. Directed by Ridley Scott, House of Gucci is inspired by the shocking true story of the family empire behind the Italian fashion house Gucci which includes love, betrayal, decadence, revenge, and murder. House of Gucci opens in cinemas on Jan. 19. There will be a special limited release in select cinemas nationwide of the latest film in the Fast & Furious franchise, F9, on Jan. 26. In it, threats will force Dom (Vin Diesel) to confront the sins of his past if he’s going to save those he loves most. Opening on Feb. 2 is the animated musical, Sing 2, Illumination’s sequel featuring the ever-optimistic koala, Buster Moon, and his all-star cast of performers. Another musical in the lineup is Marry Me, starring Jennifer Lopez, global Latin music star Maluma who makes his feature-film debut. Lopez plays musical superstar Kat Valdez while Owen Wilson is Charlie Gilbert, a math teacher — total strangers who agree to marry and then get to know each other. Award-winning director Joe Wright orchestrates a gifted ensemble of actors performing the big-screen epic love story Cyrano, unfolding in cinemas on Feb. 23. In the title role is Peter Dinklage, who makes the iconic character his own. The film Ambulance takes place over one day across the streets of L.A., when three lives will change forever. In this breakneck thriller from director-producer Michael Bay, decorated veteran Will Sharp (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), desperate for money to cover his wife’s medical bills, asks for help from the one person he knows he shouldn’t — his adoptive brother Danny (Jake Gyllenhaal), a career criminal. Danny instead offers him a score: the biggest bank heist in Los Angeles history. Ambulance opens in theaters on March 30. For more information, visit Universal Pictures PH on Facebook.
