ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Entertainment devider Movies and TV devider Why Maricel Soriano agreed to star with Fyang Smith in 'Haunted Carnival'

Why Maricel Soriano agreed to star with Fyang Smith in 'Haunted Carnival'

Published Jul 27, 2026 01:00 pm

Fans have been asking to see Maricel Soriano and Fyang Smith in the same movie for months.

They're finally getting their wish.

Regal Entertainment has paired the two actresses in "Haunted Carnival," one of the first four official entries to the 2026 Metro Manila Film Festival.

It's the first time the Diamond Star and one of the industry's fastest-rising young actresses will share the screen, ending months of speculation fueled by fans and industry insiders alike.

Note the buzz didn't come out of nowhere.

As Fyang's acting career gathered steam, viewers began pointing out similarities between her and a young Maricel.

Regal Entertainment president Roselle Monteverde only added to the conversation when she admitted the newcomer reminded her of the actress she grew up watching.

"Fyang reminds me of Maricel Soriano, I'm not kidding," Monteverde said. "I grew up with Maricel. Natutuwa ako sa batang ito kapag pinapanood ko. Bawat galaw niya natatawa ako."

Maricel herself welcomed the comparisons.

When told some fans already see Fyang as her possible successor, the veteran actress simply smiled.

"Nakakataba ng puso 'yan," she said.

More importantly, Maricel believes Fyang has the talent to justify the excitement surrounding her. She even admitted the young actress was among the reasons she agreed to do "Haunted Carnival."

"Ang galing-galing niya," Maricel said.

Fyang, however, has no interest in being called the next Maricel Soriano.

The actress, who fondly refers to the Diamond Star as her "nanay," believes the comparison is unfair to someone she considers one of the country's finest performers.

"Siyempre nag-iisa lang siya at kung sakali man, napakalayo. Marami pa akong kailangang patunayan bago marating yung level niya. Basta ngayon, happy ako na makaka-work ko siya, very excited siyempre. Feeling ko ang dami kong matututunan sa kanya."

She also knows exactly what's at stake.

"Ayoko naman mapahiya. Gusto ko paghandaan mabuti ito."

The two first worked together earlier this year when Fyang appeared on Maricel's YouTube channel for an acting workshop. Maricel affectionately called her "baby" while guiding her through several emotionally charged scenes, offering fans an early glimpse of the easy rapport they had developed.

Now they'll be sharing that chemistry with moviegoers.

Joining them in "Haunted Carnival" are John Arcilla, Julia Barretto and James Reid in what is shaping up to be one of the most talked-about casts in this year's MMFF.

For Fyang, though, the film isn't about proving she's the next Maricel Soriano.

It's about learning from the woman she has long looked up to.

Related Tags

Maricel Soriano Fyang Smith Haunted Carnival MMFF 2026 Regal Entertainment Roselle Monteverde John Arcilla Julia Barretto James Reid Filipino movies horror movie Metro Manila Film Festival
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ static_articles_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.