‘Encantadia’ pays homage to ‘GoT’

“ENCANTADIA” cast (clockwise from top, left): Kylie Padilla, Glaiza de Castro, Sanya Lopez and Gabbi Garcia

IN THE weeks leading to the premiere of the “Encantadia” reboot on July 18, a teaser trailer was released, which contained elements inspired by the wildly popular HBO series, “Game of Thrones.”

While there may be similarities between the two shows, “Encantadia,” director Mark Reyes said, has an undeniable Filipino flavor. “The program tackles family values and relationships, the significance of choosing peace instead of chaos and so on,” said Reyes, a self-described geek who’s also a fan of the “Star Wars” and “The Lord of the Rings” series. “But, you won’t see violence—or throats being slit!”

Though he did not give exact figures, Reyes said that the fantaserye could very well be the most expensive series GMA 7 has produced, with a budget “two times bigger than that of a regular primetime show.”

“In one episode, there was a battle scene that had a cast of over 200,” he told the Inquirer at a press conference. “You don’t usually see that many talents on set when shooting for a local series,” pointed out Reyes, who also directed the show’s original version in 2005.

The most apparent aspect of the fantaserye that is inspired by “Game of Thrones” is its opening credits, which presents the map of Encantadia’s four kingdoms in a manner that is similar to the American series. “That one’s intentional. We’re huge fans of ‘GoT,’ so we thought we would pay homage to it.”

The revival of “Encantadia” revolves around the exploits of the four Sang’gres, keepers of the fictional world’s elemental gems, portrayed this time around by Kylie Padilla, Gabbi Garcia, Sanya Lopez and Glaiza de Castro.

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