Let’s get this straight: if we think we will get another Luna, sorry to break it to you, we will not.

It wasn’t the type of sequel description that I, and probably the rest of the Philippines, had anticipated for the upcoming film ‘Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral.’ The day I’m putting this into words, we’ve probably long attached the blockbuster biopic ‘Heneral Luna’ to Goyo. It is, after all, another Jerrold Tarog film.

But the people behind the film suggest not to get these hopes way up. The 41-year-old director said, in many interviews, that Goyo would be a veritable opposite of Heneral Luna. In the film’s defense, what sets the contrast is the very difference of Luna’s character to that of Goyo; initially tagged as “relatable,” it will tap into the qualities that make Gregorio del Pilar a human more than a hero. It will thus be a narrative ultimately featuring the silent and introspective life of del Pilar, where most parts involve his inner battles between ego and love for the country.

Tied with a completely different plot is of course a more massive production that, although not entirely disclosed, surpassed the budget allocated for the previous movie. On site lie grand, full-size sets constructed from scratch in hopes to intoxicate viewers with nostalgia and make them live the life exactly how the young general lived it. After all, we are talking about a craft made yet again by the gamechangers of Philippine cinema.

‘Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral’ will be showing in cinemas on September 5, 2018.