FCCS NEWSFLASH

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CESAR MONTANO REPLACES AGA AS RIZAL

Manila, Sept. 21, 1997 -- Action star Cesar Montano will play Dr. Jose Rizal in the biofilm to be directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya. He replaces screen idol Aga Muhlach in the movie which is a joint venture of the National Historical Commission and Cinemax Films, a company associated with GMA-Channel 7.

Cesar, whose box office success began with the sexy "Machete" co-starring Rita Avila, agreed to scale down his talent fee (rumored to be P5 million per movie) by 50%. He also cancelled everything else on his schedule to concentrate on training for his role.

His tutorials will involve languages (Rizal spoke Spanish, French, German and Latin), fencing, painting, drawing, sculpture, and other skills that the national hero excelled in.

The movie will be shown on June 12, 1998, as one of the highlights of festivities for the Philippine Centennial celebrations. Shooting will begin in November and end in March, with some scenes to be shot in Europe.

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