TBA Studios, officially announced on Feb. 18 that actor Jericho Rosales will play the title role of Philippine President Manuel L. Quezon in the biographical historical movie “Quezon.”

Rosales will lead the cast of the much-anticipated biopic, which is expected to follow the life of Quezon, a Filipino lawyer, and soldier who became the President of the Commonwealth of the Philippines from 1935 to 1944. “Quezon” will serve as Rosales’ long-awaited return to Philippine cinema after a years-long hiatus; he was last seen on the big screen via the 2018 romantic drama “The Girl in the Orange Dress.” On television, he recently starred in the hit ABS-CBN drama “Lavender Fields.”

“I feel so honored to be with this team. Coming to a script like this which is so potent and so entertaining, I feel so lucky and happy.” Rosales said. “Here, you will see Quezon as a person. He's not written as a hero. He is cunning, he is charming, he is intelligent. Quezon is such an interesting character to play; there are so many things I can put into the role to build Quezon as a character. That adds to the pressure, but at the same time I am very excited.”

TBA Studios President and COO Daphne Chiu said of the casting: “We are honored to welcome Jericho Rosales as he leads the cast of ‘Quezon.’ Jericho’s unbelievable screen presence has made him one of our best actors today, and we're all looking forward to working with him and seeing how his artistry can give life to one of the country’s most charismatic yet divisive political figures.”

Meanwhile, “Quezon” director and co-writer Jerrold Tarog said Rosales was cast for the power he is known to deliver on screen—the same power the actor showcased when he auditioned for the role of Gen. Antonio Luna in the 2015 historical biopic “Heneral Luna.”

Also starring in “Quezon” are Mon Confiado and Benjamin Alves, who reprise their roles from earlier films “Heneral Luna” and “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral.” Confiado returns as Emilio Aguinaldo and Quezon’s political rival. Meanwhile, Alves portrays a younger Manuel L. Quezon.

Joining Rosales, Confiado, and Alves are Karylle Yuzon as Quezon’s wife, Aurora Quezon; Romnick Sarmenta as Sergio Osmeña, the first Vice President of the Philippines; JC Santos as Manuel Roxas; and Cris Villanueva as the older Joven Hernando, the only fictional character in the film series.

Chiu hinted that more exciting “Quezon” casting announcements are coming soon.

“Quezon”—part of TBA Studios’ cinematic “Bayaniverse,” a series of films based on Philippine history that includes box office hits “Heneral Luna” and “Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral”—will be released in cinemas both locally and worldwide later this year.