Carlo Aquino, Julia Barretto to star in new movie ‘Hold Me Close’

Carlo Aquino and Julia Barretto are set to headline a new film together again.

Director Jason Paul Laxamana shared snapshots from the look test of Carlo and Julia recently and revealed that both will be starring in the movie titled Hold Me Close.

The director shared that the movie will be filmed in Japan. In another post, he shared that they are leaving for Japan today, March 22, to begin their shoot.

Fans online were quick to express their excitement about the movie.

"Yahoo! Love this cast!" one fan commented.

"Excited na kami!" another fan wrote.

Aside from Carlo and Julia, Migo Valid and Jairus Aquino will also be part of the project.

It can be recalled that Carlo and Julia previously worked on the 2022 movie Expensive Candy which was also directed by Jason Paul.

In an interview in ASAP in 2022, Carlo was all praises for the professionalism of Julia saying, "Ang dali niya katrabaho, mapagbigay sa mga eksena, sobrang generous."

Julia remarked that Carlo was also very helpful in helping in portraying her character well in Expensive Candy. 

"[I prepared for the role] with the guidance of our director si direk Jason Paul Laxamana who wrote and directed this film and of course with the help of Carlo," she said.

READ: Julia Barretto to star in Viu series with Korean and Indonesian actors

Aside from Hold Me Close, Julia is also set to star in the Viu series titled Secret Ingredient alongside Korean actor Lee Sang-heon and Indonesian actor Nicholas Saputra.

"It is a really refreshing love story. It was really touching. The concept itself, busog na busog na ako. Then I read the script, I was 100 percent on board," Julia shared a previous interview with ABS-CBN News.

The actress shared that the series will have six episodes that will highlight romance, culture, and food.

"I am so excited. We have amazing food, kaya pa niya ma-introduce internationally. We have good food back home. Maipagmamalaki natin to. I am really looking forward to introducing it. So far in our shoot, I saw that they really are showcasing that," Julia remarked.

Meanwhile, Carlo headlined the movie Third World Romance in 2023 with Charlie Dizon. He is set to star in the Philippine adaptation of It's Okay to Not Be Okay this year.