Following his appearance in the 2019 Metro Manila Film Festival entry, Culion, John Lloyd Cruz is back-back to making movies—what’s more, he appears to be returning to work with his frequent collaborator, Lav Diaz.

Their work together bred two previous films: the eight-hour Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis and the four-hour Ang Babaeng Humayo. Today, they are collaborating to retell in the big screen Ricky Lee’s beloved short story, Servando Magdamag, first published in 1970.

Though his attachment to the project has yet to be announced officially, Lav has been working to get the film made for years, as ‘sir Ricky Lee notes in this interview three years ago from PEP.ph.

Cruz stars in the upcoming film, as confirmed by this tweet from CinemaOne Originals Festival Director, Ronald Arguelles:

Set against the backdrop of agrarian unrest before Martial Law, Servando Magdamag follows a young man named Servando (Cruz) who keeps vigil of his deceased grandfather.

Details about the movie are, at the moment, sparse. However, we know from Arguelles’ shared one-sheet notes that the film is coming “soon in cinemas.”

We’ll keep you posted.