Filipino actors Alden Richards and Bea Alonzo pair up for romantic movie

Filipino superstars Alden Richards and Bea Alonzo will star together for the first time in a film adaptation of the 2001 Japanese series ‘Pure Soul’.

Their pairing was announced after Viva Films, GMA Pictures and APT Entertainment signed a deal on March 2 to co-produce the romantic drama, which was also adapted in Korean as ‘A Moment to Remember’.

The movie follows a young couple whose relationship gets put to the test when the woman is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. The Korean version starred ‘Crash Landing on You’ actress Son Ye-jin and ‘The King’ star Jung Woo-sung. When it released 2004, it topped the Korean box office for two consecutive weeks.

Richards, 29, says he’s grateful for the chance to showcase his versatility on the big screen.

“It’s my first remake, and there’s always comparison. What we wanted as actors is to do our own take on how we understood the role. The material is really good for cinema, you feel the story,” he said in a statement.

Alonzo, 33, shared that she’s looking forward to the challenge of adapting a movie for a Filipino audience.

“I’m excited that we can work this time. We’re very happy that they injected Filipino culture into the script. We are working around the parameters of what Korea wants us to do, of course to also maintain and respect the original form of the movie. It’s going to be a little different from the original title but we will make sure that it’s going to be a good one. It’s going to be extra challenging and also very inspiring,” she said.

Richards is known for acting in projects such as ‘Tween Hearts’, ‘Carmela’ and ‘Victor Magtanggol’. Alonzo’s most popular hits include ‘Eerie’, ‘The Mistress’ and ‘First Love’.