ATF 2023: "The Bagman" drama series to lead ABS-CBN portfolio

ABS-CBN, the Philippines’ leading media and entertainment company announces will be present at this year’s ATF in Singapore looking to secure worldwide sales for its new 8 x one-hour action-packed drama series "The Bagman", starring Filipino actor and star of "Cattleya Killer" and "The Bagman" series, Arjo Atayde, who will be at market promoting the series.

With casting just finalized, "The Bagman" stars Atayde, reprising his character Benjo Malaya from the original Bagman series, a role that won him the 2020 Asian Academy Creative Awards Best Actor. The series also stars John Arcilla ("On The Job 2: The Missing 8"), Volpi Cup Best Actor in the 78th Venice International Film Festival, and Judy Ann Santos-Agoncillo ("Mindanao") 2019 Cairo International Film Festival Best Actress.

“Having initially announced 'The Bagman' in March of this year, the timing could not be better to now be offering worldwide sales at ATF for our suspenseful, gripping, and fast-moving drama series,” commented Ruel S. Bayani, Head, International Productions, ABS-CBN. “As we continue to advocate for Filipino representation, we are thrilled to also be announcing the award-winning talent of Arjo, John, and Judy Ann who are now part of 'The Bagman'. Filipino programming is continuing to grow and expand, and we are honored to be at the forefront in offering diverse new projects to meet the growing demands of the industry.”

"The Bagman", a spin-off of the original locally produced digital series Bagman for the Filipino audience is produced by Philippine-based companies - ABS-CBN International Productions, Nathan Studios Inc., Rein Entertainment and Dreamscape Entertainment. The original digital series, Bagman 1 and 2, which sold to Netflix Philippines, follows the story of Benjo Malaya, a neighborhood barber who landed a job as the governor's henchman and gets caught up in a dangerous web of crime, corruption, and political turmoil. Now with "The Bagman", when convicted prisoner and former governor, Benjo Malaya, learns the tragic news about his missing family, he is left with no choice but to return to the vicious underworld that he turned his back on, and take on a new mission, this time, as a Bagman for the sitting president of the Republic of the Philippines to stop an impending and civil war.