What we know about the movie '1521: The Battle of Mactan'; casting controversy brewing

Most American children are taught that  Ferdinand Magellan was the first man to circle the world. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!

The first man to encircle the globe is a servant from Southeast Asia, Enrique de Mallacca. Magellan sailed to the archipelago he named after King Philip of Spain, the  Philippines, where legend says he was killed by Datu Lapu Lapu on April 27, 1521.

Magellan's final days will be told in a Philippines-US movie production, 1521: The Battle of Mactan, that is set to be begin filming in the Philippines this month.

“People don’t know what happened to Magellan. Some people in America think he just died," says Michael Copon, a Filipino American actor who will not only direct the epic story, but also portray Lapu Lapu, the warrior-chieftain. 

"And a lot of times, the history of the Philippines gets pushed under the rug, unnoticed, which led to the passion that we wanted to embrace those stories and embrace the culture, and say ‘Hey! Let me get this out there,'” adds the Virginia-born Copon (Power Rangers, One Tree Hill). “Even more historic is, this is the first time a Hollywood director and producer are producing a movie about a Filipino story with Hollywood stars and Filipino stars in one movie.”

The highly touted Hollywood star is Danny Trejo, veteran actor (“Machete,” “Con Air,” “Heat”) who has been cast as the Portuguese explorer Magellan, sailing under the Spanish flag.

Besides the actual battle between the Spaniards and the indigenous people, who had developed an active sea-going trading culture linking it with kingdoms in what is now Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, the other storyline in the movie is the love story between Princess Diwata and Enrique de Malacca. 

Movie press releases describe Enrique (played by Puerto Rican actor Hector David Jr.) as a Spanish soldier. (Once again, apparently, an Asian male actor was deemed not sexy enough to serve as a love interest.). However, historical records say he is originally from Southeast Asia. That's why he was able to act as Magellan's chief translator.

NOTE to 1521 Producers: To avoid a controversy and possible boycott by AAPI and Asian moviegoers, don't turn Enrique into a white man.

Many historians believe that the first person to travel around the world should be attributed to Enrique, who Magellan acquired as a slave in earlier journeys to Malaysia. When Magellan and Enrique returned to Europe, they traveled westward. Magellan's journey, thusly, returned Enrique to his homeland. But as European historians tend to do, the credit for circumnavigating the globe went to the remnants of Magellan's fleet.

In addition to Trejo, and Copon, the movie will also feature Filipino star Bea Alonzo as the Mactan princess Diwata, Hector David Jr. as Magellan's translator Enrique, and Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan as Ahmani, the sister of Diwata.

Cast of '1521: Battle of Mactan' include (clockwise from top right)
Michael Compon, Bea  Alonzo, Hector David Jr. and Danny Trejo.

Michael reveals that 1521 will not focus entirely on the Battle of Mactan, as the romance between Diwata and Enrique will prove to be the “heart and soul” of the story. “We didn’t want to make a movie that is just about the battle and the war,” he explains.

1521 is being produced by Filipino American filmmaker Francis B. Lara Ho of Inspire Studios. The U.S.-Philippines production will follow the Magellan's journey as he became one of the first Europeans to travel to Asia. The script was written by Mary Krell-Oishi. Filming is expected to begin later this month in Palawan.

At the press event on the island of Palawan, Lara Ho said the film would be shot entirely in the tourist-favorite Palawan, which was picked for its scenic beaches and mountains.

The producer, himself from Palawan, hopes to provide more opportunities to the people in the province through the project.

“I am actually pleasantly surprised when we did the casting that there are quite a few Palaweños who are really incredible in talent. They just need the opportunities and so that’s what we are bringing here,” Lara Ho said.

“Sad to say that Palawan is one of the richest in terms of natural resources but our poverty level is very high compared to other provinces. That’s why I’m hoping that bringing projects here would change that,” he added.

Filipino historians, led by the late Carlos Quirino, suggest that he was the southern Philippines. Quirino said he was from Carcar, Cebu! However, a closer reading of the sources reveals that Enrique was not able to speak with ordinary people on the street, but only with men whose trade and political contacts made them fluent in Malay.

Cast and crew of '1521: Battle of Mactan' held a press event last weekend on Palawan.

The story of Enrique is a mere footnote in history. Even though his true origins whether he's from Indonesia, Malaysia or the Philippines it is important to acknowledge the  Asian representation in the Magellan story. 

In history books, little is known about the fate of Enrique after the Battle of Mactan, so it will be up to the movie makers to give us a "happy-ever-after" ending or an ending along the lines of Romeo and Juliet.

The movie, 1521: The Battle of Mactan, is set to be released in June of 2023 to coincide with the events celebrating the 125th anniversary of Philippine independence.

Correction: Aug. 11, 2:30 pm. Earlier versions of this post had the incorrect state in which Michael Copon was born.

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