Which one will stardom bless?

In 1984, Viva Films produced Bagets, the Maryo J. delos Reyes-directed classic that made stars out of Aga Muhlach, William Martinez, Herbert Bautista, JC Bonnin and Raymond Lauchengco.

In 2014, Viva Films launched a bunch of cuties touted as Lucky 13. It turned out that only three of them were really lucky: James Reid and Joseph Marco as the leading men of Nadine Lustre and Yassi Pressman in Talk Back and You’re Dead respectively, and Bret Jackson (who still has to find his own spot in the entertainment sun).

Last week, the same company announced the launch of a new batch of (five) cuties in Squad Goals (new term for barkada).

The big questiion is: which one will Stardom bless?

• Jack Reid (1) is the younger brother of James Reid from whose shadow he’s working hard to get out of. He’s now on his third year in the business. In 2016, he was cast in Ang Panday and the game show Happy Truck Happinas. Last year, he starred in the horror flick Darkroom. His good looks and fashion sense have earned him a clothing endorsement contract. In Squad Goals, he plays Pads, a Masscom student who works as a part-time bartender. Born and raised in Australia as Jack was in real life, Pads has yet to speak Tagalog fluently and he is tutored by a girl who seems to be the only one not affected by his charisma.

• Vitto Marquez (2) is the son of Joey Marquez and Alma Moreno who described Vitto as “shy.” In 2016, Vitto auditioned for ABS-CBN’s boy group Hashtag, and a year later, he was officially launched as one of its members. Vitto is seen regularly in It’s Showtime. In Squad Goals, he plays Tom, son of a retired basketball player and a model/actress, and an HRM student and a varsity team captain who also happens to be a three-time MVP, hailed as the “It Guy” in the university.

• Julian Trono (3) is the most familiar face in the batch, having been in the business since 2009 as host in the values-oriented children’s show Tropang Potchi. In 2010, he joined Party Pilipinas (now Sunday PINASaya) where he wowed audiences with his dance moves, earning him the title “Prince of the Dance Floor.” He has appeared in several TV shows (Amaya, 2011; Anna Karenina, 2013; Niño, 2014; Buena Familia, 2015; and Dear Uge, 2016)…and in Viva Films’ horror movie Ang Pagsanib Kay Leah Dela Cruz, followed by Fangirl, Fanboy with his loveteam partner Ella Cruz. As a Viva Records artist, Julian has recorded his original songs including Balang Araw, Isang Tingin and Tumalon. In Squad Goals, he plays Benj, an Engineering student who is a secret dance guru called Young D. 

• Andrew Muhlach (4) is the half-brother of Aga and AJ who support his decision to follow in their footsteps. In 2016, he starred as the son of Herbert Bautista and Maricel Soriano in Lumayo Ka Nga Sa Akin. The next year, he worked with Jack Reid for the first time in the horror flick Darkroom. In Squad Goals, Andrew plays the class clown and the best friend of Vitto’s character Tom.

• Dan Hushcka (5) was a member of a boy group Sugar High in 2013. As a 14 year old, this Filipino-German decided that he would be a singer, although he could also be a good actor. In 2017, he was cast in Taddy Taddy Po, a family comedy on Sari Sari channel. In Squad Goals, he plays Hans, a shy-type music genius who keeps getting gigs as a DJ. In the process, his studies are taken for granted. He has a set of friends, but he tries not to be attached to them as he knows he and his mom will go back to Germany anytime to see his father.

The Squad boys are going on tour: March 4 at Ayala Malls Cloverleaf; March 10 at Ayala  Malls Feliz; March 11 at SM City San Pablo; March 17 at SM City Iloilo; March 24 at Ayala Malls Harbor Point; March 25 at SM City Pampanga; April 7 at SM City Tarlac; April 8 at SM City Rosales; April 9 at Fisher Mall; April 14 at Ayala Malls Legazpi; April 22 at SM City Bicutan; April 28 at SM City Novaliches; and April 29 at Gaisano Starscene Davao.

(E-mail reactions at [email protected]. For more updates, photos and videos, visit www.philstar.com/funfare. or follow me on Instagram @therealrickylo.)