Several months ago, we reported that HOOQ will be spearheading the effort to bring original Filipino content to subscription-video-on-demand (SVOD) services. Back then, HOOQ announced that they would be producing OTJ: The Series. Director Erik Matti returns now to reveal the cast of the 2013 film’s mini-series sequel.
Teroy Guzman leads the new cast as Sisoy, a fifty-something media veteran who’s under the pay of a local political family. Nonoy Froilan plays Pedring, a local politician. Bela Padilla plays Pam, an up-and-coming journalist tasked to investigate the case of eight missing journalists. Neil Ryan Sese plays Roman, a local gun brought in and out of prison for hits.
Meanwhile, Leo Martinez reprises his role as the corrupt General Pacheco to link the mini-series’s story with the film. Dominic Ochoa plays a governor in a local town.
Smokey Manaloto plays a member of the police force. Renz Fernandez plays an undisclosed “good guy” role. Ria Atayde plays the responsible sibling of Sisoy’s family.
Arjo Atayde plays Noel, a journalist turned politician.
Jake Macapagal plays Nato, a “scary role” as a middle man.
Levi Ignacio plays an undisclosed role.
Child actress Nafa Hilario Cruz plays an undisclosed role but director Matti says that Cruz had no apprehensions about the tough roles required for the series.
Christopher de Leon plays the co-owner of a La Paz newspaper, along with Sisoy.
OTJ: The Series’s story will open on Christmas Eve. Everyone’s preparing for a Christmas party but amidst this, Christopher de Leon’s character and Sisoy gets into a fight. They are partners in a weekly La Paz newspaper, but over the years, Sisoy has turned into a paid hack of a political hack of a journalist under the pay of a political family. De Leon criticizes Sisoy over the latter’s lack of integrity. The Christmas party fails.
At the next day, eight journalists disappear. We will be shown what happens to them but it is up to the characters to figure out the mystery. Pam comes in to investigate but eventually butts heads with Sisoy. She enlists the help of Noel. Sisoy finds it in himself to engage in journalistic work again to look for his friends.
Amidst all of this, there will be a subplot happening within the prison, comprised of roles who know exactly what happened to the eight journalists.
The story focuses a lot on the media: its pros, its cons, how fulfilling it is, how news are created, etc. As such, “this show is not about the truth, but about what you believe in,” says Matti.
Even before the first season premieres, Matti has high hopes that a second season will also be greenlit. As of now, Matti is working hard to release all the episodes in one go like the format followed by other SVOD services.
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