If you haven’t read Smaller and Smaller Circles yet, now is a good time to get your hands on a copy. In a few months, the film version of Maria Felisa Batacan’s award-winning work will come out on the big screen.
The team behind the project sounds pretty impressive.
It is directed by Raya Martin, known for his works Independencia and Manila.
Ria Limjap, who served as associate producer on the acclaimed 2015 film Heneral Luna, is producer and writer, Inquirer reports.
The book has a very cinematic story, she said.
Set in 1997, the literary noir is about a series of mysterious killings in the Payatas dumpsite. Two Jesuit priests investigate to identify the monster preying on the boys.
The script was developed and written by Limjap, Martin and Moira Lang (formerly known as Raymond Lee), with Batacan as consultant.
Batacan, who is currently working on a prequel, said she felt overwhelmed by the thought of having her novel adapted for the big screen.
“It’s surreal. I never had any great ambitions for the book so this was something that was totally unexpected. I’m really excited to see what’s going to happen,” said Batacan.
The Western-style Filipino crime novel won the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature in 1999. It also eventually won the National Book Award and the Madrigal-Gonzalez Best First Book Award.
The movie adaptation will be produced by Tuko Film Productions and Buchi Boy Entertainment. They already started shooting in May.
