Filipina Actress Hailed As ‘Mega Star’ Cast In ‘Mango Bride’ Adaptation

The Philippines is home to a lot of talented actors and actresses, some of who have been cast in international films. The latest one to land a role is Sharon Cuneta, known better in the country as the “Mega Star.”

According to a report from Variety, Cuneta will star in the award-winning novel adaptation “The Mango Bride.”

For those who may not be familiar with the novel, it tells the story of two Filipino women who migrate to California and unearth hidden truths.

The novel tells the story of Amparo and Beverly. The former is a quiet socialite born into a wealthy family while Beverly is a wide-eyed mail-order bride. It was published in 2013 in English by Penguin Random House, in Filipino by National Book Store and in Spanish by Grupo Planeta. The novel won the highest literary prize in the Philippines – the Grand Prize of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards.

“I wanted to do ‘The Mango Bride’ because it’s the best way to connect to a global audience by putting some of the best Filipino talents and stories together to tell an emotional and uplifting story like this. I have long been a fan of Marivi Soliven’s writing, from ‘Suddenly Stateside,’ her collection of light essays about living in the U.S., to ‘The Mango Bride.’ She captures the Filipino migrant and Filipino American experience skillfully,” Cuneta was quoted as saying.

The one who will be tasked to direct the film will be Filipino-Canadian filmmaker Martin Edralin. Previously, Edralin tackled a migration theme in the Canadian Screen Awards nominated and SXSW-winning feature “Islands.”

Rae Red will be tasked to adapt the novel as a screenplay while Justin Deimen and Micah Tadena will produce for Singapore and London headquartered 108 Media. Production is scheduled to start later this year.

When word got out, Cuneta also sought support from Filipinos about the upcoming project.

"Hollywood, here come the PINOYS!!! Please pray for this project to succeed. My prayer is that it is able to open doors for ALL OF US in the industry - FINALLY," Cuneta posted on Facebook.