Director Topel Lee reveals the boxer’s ad lib humor
BY ROME JORGE LIFESTYLE EDITOR

It’s December 9, the last day of shooting of superhero movie Wapakman with boxer Manny Pacquiao. Director Topel Lee is uncertain if post-production such as CGI, dubbing and color correction can be finished in time for the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).

He confessed, “We’re not sure. We might just pull it off. As long as we don’t miss any days and nothing goes wrong with the computers. Definitely it will come out this Christmas season, the only time the film producers and the MMDA [Metropolitan Manila Development Authority] give a P1 million.” There is also no competition from foreign films during the MMFF.

Lee clarifies that the recent rumors regarding Pacquiao and co-star Krista Ranillo were not to blame for any major delays in shooting. “With regards to controversy when it comes to Krista, I really don’t know. If it happens, it’s outside the set,” he stated.

Other stars include Bianca King as the leading lady, Ruffa Gutierrez, John Manalo, Leo Martinez, Paulo Ravales and John Hall.

However, professional wrestler Batista and Nicole Sheringer of the Pussycat Dolls are not part of the cast. “Before, we were talking about having Batista and Nicole. We really tried. We even presented concepts. But it was really about budget. Batista’s camp took so long in replying that we decided to go ahead without him,” Lee explained.

The director also counters opinions that Pacquiao’s burgeoning movie career distracts the boxer from his training. “Our schedule revolves around Manny’s. We shot in Baguio. We would go to him. Every Sunday, that’s when we’d shoot. His training was from Mondays to Saturdays,” he said.

Pacquiao’s training has led to a longer than average production time. “With regards to shooting schedules, we’ve been shooting for almost five months, starting August, we were limited to shooting Manny only up to 2 a.m. [quite early in movie industry standards] because he really needs to rest. This is our 36th day. The longest shooting [for a movie] I’ve experienced [before this project] was 27 days,” he recalled.

Curiously, the director confides that the athlete has a natural gift for comedy. “When they first gave me the script, I told them there wasn’t enough humor. But what happened was when we started shooting, Manny was improvising with his own ad lib humor,” he revealed. Lee opines that Pacquiao is better suited to comedy than he is to action movie. The boxer’s previous full-length feature film was the war movie Anak ng Kumander.

The family oriented super hero fantasy movie Wapakman is also a welcome break for Lee, best known for top grossing thrillers Ouija, Sundo and segments in the eighth, ninth and tenth installment of the long running film franchise Shake Rattle and Roll.

Lee’s previous forays into superhero fantasies include the television series Gagambino. Lee has also cut his teeth in soaps such as Kung Aagawin Mo Ang Lahat Sa Akin and Ang Babaeng Hinugot sa Aking Tadyang.

“I used to do a lot of horror films. Here, I get to practice on action sequences,” he said. He reveals that the film utilizes fight scene coordinators and stuntmen from China.

On his success, the graduate from the College of Fine Arts at the University of the Philippines, said, “I’m just lucky I guess. In mainstream cinema, you have to make it one time big time. You’re only as good as your last piece of work.”

Just as fellow MMFF entry Panday has a tie up with Enchanted Kingdom theme park, so too does Wapakman with Star City, the setting for the finale of the film.