'One Tree Hill' actor Michael Copon gushes about directing, producing historical Filipino film 'Battle of Mactan'
Filipino-American actor Michael Copon took to Instagram to gush over his latest project, 1521: The Battle of Mactan, which he's not only directing, but also starring in as war hero Lapu-Lapu.
After finishing directing and producing the upcoming film, Copon shared photos and videos from his trip to the Lapu-Lapu Shrine in Mactan, Cebu. In the caption of the post, the One Tree Hill actor told his followers about how passionate he was about making a movie about the hero.
"It was such an honor to play Lapu Lapu and now going to see his statue in Cebu was a memory I will hold dear to my heart. A true war hero of our nation. A datu we can all look up to," Copon wrote.
"It's been a long 16 years since I first said I would make this! A few investors heard me speak on stage in DC last December about this idea and that turned in to us making this movie! The Philippines Braveheart story!"
Aside from Copon, 1521: The Battle of Mactan also stars Bea Alonzo, Power Rangers' Hector David, From Dusk Til Dawn's Danny Trejo, Australian actor Costas Mandylor, and Kapuso actress Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan.
The Scorpion King 2 star said that he would keep making movies on stories from his homeland to educate the world on Philippine history. He first read about Lapu-Lapu's story from books like The History of the Burgis by Mariel N. Francisco and Fe Maria C. Arriola.
"I poured my heart into this script because—wow it's so crazy. And I'm right here, right where it happened," he said in a video at the shrine. "Amazing."
The historical film is set to hit theaters on June 12, 2023.