MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Arcade Film Factory, the award-winning production house founded in 2019 by directors Jeorge Agcaoili, Richard Ang, Nick Santiago, Mike Talampas, and Marius Talampas, has just revealed a well-kept secret that they’ve been working on these past few months: that they are the producers behind the second season of the international TV series Almost Paradise.
The American-Filipino crime drama revolves around former DEA Agent Alex Walker, played by Christian Kane, who moved to the serene island of Cebu in the Philippines to escape hypertension and enjoy a peaceful retirement. But when he discovers the island is overrun by luxurious resorts and notorious criminals, he’s pulled back into a world of danger and intrigue. Season 2 is now out on Amazon’s Freevee app.
The series was created by Electric Entertainment, an independent studio headed by veteran Filipino-American producer Dean Devlin and his partners Marc Roskin and Rachel Olschan-Wilson. Devlin is also the producer and co-writer of some of the most successful feature films of all time, like Independence Day, Stargate, and Godzilla. On the other hand, the California-based studio is behind hit television series like Leverage: Redemption, The Librarians, and The Outpost.
Almost Paradise Season 2 is shot entirely in the Philippines and was made possible through the collaboration between Electric Entertainment, Arcade Film Factory, and CMB Film Services Inc – Southeast Asia’s leading camera and lighting equipment supplier, headed by its President and Managing Director Jim Baltazar.
A new direction
2022 was a year of commitment for Arcade, both to its present and its future, as it saw a chance to commit itself to directing not just films for advertising, but its own direction as a company, too. For the first time, the company ventured into co-producing a TV series, its first project outside of advertising.
Jeorge Agcaoili, President of Arcade Film Factory, explained, “We started out as a challenger in this industry in 2019, and we will always remain as one. This won’t change even if we grow bigger as a company and win awards. We’ll first and foremost be challengers to ourselves, making sure that we’re always doing new things that make us better. That’s why this new venture into TV production with Electric Entertainment and Almost Paradise 2 means so much to us because it pushes us out of our comfort zone in the advertising production industry. We’re very grateful to Dean Devlin, Jim Baltazar, the Electric Entertainment team, and the CMB Film Services team for trusting us to work with them in producing Almost Paradise’s Season 2 in the Philippines. The whole Arcade team is excited for everyone to watch this action-packed, laughter-filled, and scenic series that captures the best of the Philippines for the world to see.”
Mike Talampas, Vice President and Partner at Arcade Film Factory, added, “This co-production with Electric Entertainment for a TV series is definitely not the last out-of-advertising project Arcade Film Factory plans to venture into. In fact, we have a full-length film under Marius Talampas and many more projects outside of our usual advertising work lined up in the next months. This definitely is an exciting time for Arcade’s new direction.”
A star-studded cast
The first season of Almost Paradise featured Filipino actors like Noni Buencamino, Art Acuña, Samantha Richelle, Ces Quesada, Raymond Bagatsing, Ryan Eigenmann, Zaijan Jaranilla, AC Bonifacio, Nikki Valdez, Lotlot de Leon, Ketchup Eusebio, Lou Veloso, Will Devaughn, Boom Labrusca, Richard Yap, and Zsa Zsa Padilla.
Renowned Filipino-Canadian YouTube vlogger Mikey Bustos, GMA star Max Collins, and Filipino-American actor Dante Basco are all expected to join the show’s cast for season 2.
