John Lloyd Cruz leads star-studded cast of upcoming comedy ‘Ang Fraile’

John Lloyd Cruz is making a comeback in Ang Fraile, an upcoming online comedy series also starring acclaimed actors Joel Torre, Cherie Gil, and Ronnie Lazara, as well as comedian Jun Sabayton.

The show, which will stream on YouTube, is a satirical comedy about Filipino life in the Spanish colonial era.

Jun will be playing a ruthless friar in a rural town called San Edgardo, while Joel and Cherie play a wealthy mestizo couple who rule over the town. Ronnie will be taking the role of the local soothsayer.

John Lloyd will be taking on a role he’s never played before – an ugly man. In fact, his character Pepito, is known as the town’s ugliest inhabitant, the indio servant of the friar, and, aptly, the one who begins to question whether their world makes sense.

Ang Fraile has been in development for five years, the brainchild of producer Erwin Romulo and director RA Rivera.

“I’ve been a major fan of RA’s for decades now, and Erwin has always been one of my favorite collaborators,” said Globe Studios head Quark Henares.

“The combination of both talents is fully showcased here, with its stellar cast, period setting, irreverent humor and social commentary. We’ve done historical films before but I’ve honestly never seen one like Ang Fraile. The audience is going to have lots of fun!” he said.

RA hopes that the comedy will both entertain and provoke viewers.

“Our history shows that we keep making the same mistakes. There’s no fun in flagellating ourselves for previous errors. You can’t undo the past. But I think that if you can afford to laugh at the past, you have learned your lesson,” he said.

Ang Fraile premieres on Globe Studios’ YouTube channel on July 30, at 8 pm. – Rappler.com