FOLLOWING the hugely successful epic film, 'Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan', local film enthusiasts are anticipating the release of its sequel, 'Pendekar Awang: Darah Indera Gajah'.
Produced by Studio Kembara, the new film will begin its public screening in cinemas nationwide on Jan 11.
Less than a month to that awaited screening, many are still left in the dark as to who is the film's director, after filmmaker Areel Abu Bakar was axed from the director's chair.
When met at a launch for the film's official trailer and its original soundtrack in Cyberjaya, Selangor recently, its producer, Abdul Rahman Md Dali, remained tight-lipped.
"Let's just wait for the announcement which will be revealed during the film's gala premier on Jan 2," he said.
On Areel's involvement in the film's final cut, Abdul Rahman admitted that there were some parts that utilised Areel's footage when he was the director. However, he rubbished Areel's previous claim that 90 per cent of the film was the director's work.
"Yes, Areel spent a lot of time directing, but despite his claim that 90 per cent of the film is from the time he was in charge, that is not true.
"Maybe that's from his own calculation, but what he didn't know is that we eventually didn't use much of what he had shot," explained Abdul Rahman.
The producer added that Areel failed to turn up when Studio Kembara had called him for discussions on how to proceed after Areel was dropped.
"I'm not sure why he didn't show up, but we did call him to discuss before we started filming for the second block," said Abdul Rahman, who let on that filming for Studio Kembara's second film had been done in three stages, which began some time in January this year.
At press time, the film which cost around RM12 million to produce is in its final stage of post-production.
Abdul Rahman said that 'Pendekar Awang' is the sequel to 'Mat Kilau' as well as its spin-off.
However, he added that while the film structure and storyline had been inspired by historical events, the finer details are, of course, from the imagination and creative work of the film's scriptwriters Shahruddin Dali and Maizura Ideris.
'Pendekar Awang' tells the story of Awang (played by Fattah Amin) whose mission is to keep Tok Gajah (Wan Hanafi Su) and Haji Sulong (Namron) from being harmed by the British.
The story's timeline is set after the last battle led by Mat Kilau against the colonial master in Kuala Tembeling.
After the British found out that Tok Gajah (who was from Pahang) was on his way to neighbouring Terengganu in order to get the support of the state's ruler and his subjects, the British decreed that Tok Gajah and his followers be defeated.
It's then Awang's mission to save Haji Sulong and ensure that Tok Gajah arrives at his destination safely. But can Awang beat Captain Syers and his army this time?
The film features a woman empowerment theme as it also tells the story of the sacrifices and the resistance presented via its female characters, which include Awang's wife Sayang (Nur Fazura), Siti (Heliza Helmi), Minah (Hazwani Helmi) and Besah (Tissa Biani).
Abdul Rahman added that while it was difficult to predict if this film could surpass the phenomenal success of its predecessor, he hoped it would entertain moviegoers and educate them with the underlying message in the story, just like how Mat Kilau did.
Meanwhile, it was revealed during the event that the film's official soundtrack was titled 'Darah Bangsa' and performed by popular singer-songwriter Faizal Tahir. The new song was composed by Faizal and Glowrush, with lyrics penned by the singer himself.