MANILA, Philippines — Decades after the death of Fernando Poe Jr. and National Artist for Film Gerardo “Gerry” de Leon, one of Philippine cinema’s most intriguing unfinished projects continues to capture the imagination of movie fans: “Juan dela Cruz,” a film that was supposed to showcase two giants of Filipino cinema at the height of their craft.
The movie starred Fernando Poe Jr. in the title role and was directed by de Leon, widely regarded as one of the country’s most accomplished filmmakers. But the ambitious project was never completed after de Leon died while production was still underway.
FPJ’s unfinished “dream project”
In a 2002 interview with Philstar entertainment columnist Ricky Lo, FPJ personally recalled the unfinished film and revealed just how much of the production had already been completed.
According to FPJ, “Juan dela Cruz” was roughly 50 percent finished when de Leon died. He said many of the scenes involving Gloria Romero had already been completed, while some of his own scenes still had to be filmed.
For FPJ, the project was more than just another movie.
He described it as a potential masterpiece and recalled that de Leon had envisioned the film as one of his greatest works. FPJ also said the story was based on historical anecdotes and untold stories, giving the project a more ambitious scope than the typical action films for which he was famous.
Why didn’t FPJ simply finish it?
That is where the story becomes particularly fascinating.
FPJ explained that filmmaking technology at the time made it difficult to continue the project without de Leon. There were no modern video monitors that would have allowed a director or assistant to guide production remotely.
In his recollection, FPJ believed that if such technology had existed, de Leon might have been able to designate an assistant director and continue providing instructions while monitoring the shoot.
But ultimately, FPJ chose not to simply take over the film.
Instead, he preserved what remained.
The footage became a cinematic time capsule
Several accounts have reported that the surviving raw footage of “Juan dela Cruz” was kept by FPJ and treated with extraordinary care.
In a 2020 Manila Bulletin report, NCCA chairman Nick Lizaso recalled being given the rare opportunity by FPJ to view portions of the raw, unedited footage. Lizaso said the material consisted of cuts from the first part of the film and remained impressive even in its unfinished form.
Philstar likewise reported that FPJ kept the raw footage in a vault, with the material largely remaining unseen.
That decision added another layer of mystery to the project.
Rather than allowing another filmmaker to complete the movie without de Leon, FPJ appeared to regard the existing footage as something that should be preserved as a record of the director’s work.
A rare glimpse was shown years later
The unfinished film did not completely disappear from public memory.
PEP.ph reported that excerpts from “Juan Dela Cruz” were presented in a tribute to Gerardo de Leon at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in December 1990. The presentation helped preserve at least a glimpse of the ambitious project and its collaboration between de Leon and FPJ.
The film has also continued to be referenced in retrospectives and stories about FPJ’s career. Inquirer, for example, described it as one of de Leon’s unfinished masterpieces and noted Dranreb Belleza’s appearance alongside FPJ in the production.
What could have been FPJ’s definitive film?
Perhaps the most intriguing part of FPJ’s own recollection was his belief that “Juan dela Cruz” could have been something extraordinary.
He told Philstar that he considered the project potentially his ultimate film, particularly because of its historical material and de Leon’s direction. Plans reportedly included versions dubbed in Ilocano and Bisaya, with the intention of reaching audiences across the country.
But those plans never came to fruition.
The result is a film that exists somewhere between a finished work and a cinematic ghost—a project with surviving footage, remembered performances and an ambitious vision, but no completed final version.
Why “Juan dela Cruz” still matters
Fernando Poe Jr. became one of the most enduring icons of Philippine cinema, while Gerardo “Gerry” de Leon remains one of the country’s most celebrated filmmakers.
Their unfinished collaboration represents a rare intersection of two generations of Filipino filmmaking talent.
And perhaps that is why the story continues to fascinate movie historians and FPJ fans.
“Juan dela Cruz” was not simply an abandoned production. It became a preserved piece of Philippine cinematic history—a reminder of what might have been had one of the country’s greatest directors lived long enough to complete the film.
Decades later, the question remains: what would “Juan dela Cruz” have looked like if Gerry de Leon had been able to finish it?
For now, the surviving footage remains a tantalizing window into a film that Filipino cinema never got to see in its intended final form.
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