A love story for a new generation? Let’s hope they don’t drop the ball on this one.
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Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition gave us many memorable pop culture moments, and two of its biggest were Bianca de Vera’s love team with Will Ashley (WillCa) and Dustin Yu (DustBia). For most of the season, their storylines had fans in a grip, and even after the show, it’s clear these three actors and their associated love teams will continue to be the talk of the town. It’s this energy that is making its way to the big screen, as it was announced that Will, Bianca, and Dustin will star in a movie together titled Love You So Bad.
The film is a collaboration between Star Cinema, GMA Pictures, and Regal Films, and is being directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar, whose past works include Rewind, 2 Good 2 Be True, Can’t Buy Me Love, and the Philippine remake of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, among others. Interestingly, the movie is set to be inspired by (but not a remake of) Wenn V. Deramas’ 1998 film Dahil Mahal na Mahal Kita, which starred Rico Yan, Claudine Barretto, and Diether Ocampo, because of how it featured a love triangle that captured the generation’s attention and continues to be talked about today.
While Love You So Bad has no release date yet, the mere news that Will, Bianca, and Dustin will be starring in the same movie that will most likely involve a love triangle had netizens buzzing. The hype is already there, and when the movie drops, it may just be a defining film for Gen Z. Below, we’ve listed some of the things we’re hoping to see when the film finally releases.
THE LEAD CAST DELIVERS WITH THEIR ACTING
With a seasoned director and three major production houses backing Love You So Bad, the movie will most likely have the resources to be the blockbuster that it can be. With that, we hope this serves as an opportunity for Will Ashley, Bianca de Vera, and Dustin Yu to showcase their acting chops on arguably their biggest project yet. Being the lead stars of a movie potentially this big can lowkey define careers, so we hope the trio delivers, because we feel they can.
A STORY FOR THE NEW GENERATION
With three of the biggest Gen Z actors of the moment together in one movie that capitalizes on their hype, we know we’re getting the kilig moments from WillCa and DustBia. But we’re also hoping that the movie comes through as a story that Gen Z can relate to and can speak to a lot of the generation’s experiences. We’re curious to see how they showcase love through the lens of the new generation, because, more than just a movie about a love triangle, this can be a Gen Z tale on modern love and relationships.
AGENCY WITH BIANCA’S CHARACTER
It’s a no-brainer that the movie will probably focus on the love triangle between Will, Bianca, and Dustin’s characters. But something we hope not to see is Bianca’s character just being the girl in the middle who is being fought over by the other guys like she’s a prize.
People have their biases about who they think she should end up with in the end. However, we’re past the era of women in movies being seen as a trophy to be won over and only being talked about if it involves a guy they are with, so we’re manifesting that Bianca’s character will have agency over how she lives her life and what she wants to do, regardless of which guy she may end up with.
IT HAS SOMETHING MORE TO SAY THAN JUST BEING A ROM-COM
Filipinos love their romantic comedies, but with so many local rom-coms out there, Love You So Bad has the opportunity to go there when it comes to themes of love and the youth in general. Yes, the fun should still be there, but a modern take on love can mean a lot of things, which allows the movie’s creators to dig deep and tell a story of what it means to be young and in love in this day and age. Sure, it’s WillCa and DustBia in a movie together, but we have faith that it can be a lot more than just two hours of these two love teams.
MULTI-DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS
Despite what some may say, Gen Z is a lot more than the stereotypes thrown at them. The generation approaches love and life differently from other generations, but that doesn’t make them worse; it just means they know what they want and adapt to the times. It’s an aspect we hope to see in the movie that is less reliant on the one-dimensional archetypes that have filled most Filipino rom-coms and more on dynamic characters with depth and don’t pander to tropes.
Photos from Star Cinema’s Instagram
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