SINGAPORE — WarnerMedia today announced On The Job, a new original series from the Philippines. The crime thriller (6×60’) will premiere exclusively on HBO GO in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in September. It will also air later on the region’s HBO channel.
Inspired by true events, select episodes from the series will screen in-competition at the prestigious 78th Venice Film Festival in September and will be the only one from Asia out of 21 international titles. While the first two episodes of the series were also shown as a film at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, the episodes on HBO GO are remastered and include never-before-seen.
Magdalene Ew, WarnerMedia’s Head of Content – Entertainment for India, Southeast Asia, and Korea, said: “Since 2013, when part of the story was released theatrically, interest in this project has been really high. We’re so pleased to offer HBO GO audiences a first look at On The Job as a limited series, one of our first from the Philippines. It is the work of some of the country’s top creative and storytelling talent.”
On The Job centres around crime syndicates that temporarily release prison inmates to carry out political assassinations for those in power. However, the crime syndicates themselves are run by politicians. The series also puts a spotlight on the real-world predicament concerning fake news and how easily truth can be manufactured and disseminated to the public in today’s age of information.
Conceived and directed by Erik Matti, the limited series is in both English and Filipino, and filmed in the Philippines. It stars Joel Torre, Gerald Anderson, Dennis Trillo, Joey Marquez, Piolo Pascual, John Arcilla, and Christopher De Leon.
Produced by Reality Entertainment and Globe Studios, On The Job is written by Michiko Yamamota and Erik Matti and executive produced by Ronald “Dondon” Monteverde, Erik Matti, Joe Caliro, and Quark Henares.
Erik Matti’s other HBO Asia Original work – the Island of Dreams episode from anthology series Food Lore – is also available on HBO GO. The regional service also streams original crime dramas Trinity of Shadows, The Head, The World Between Us, and Miss Sherlock. Matti is directing an episode of the HBO Asia Original series Folklore Season 2 which will premiere later this year. Halfwords Season 3 is the first HBO Asia Original series to be shot entirely in the Philippines and is yet to air.
