Will Ashley, Bianca De Vera, And Dustin Yu Are Starring In A Film Inspired By A '90s Classic

The former Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Collab housemates are honored and excited to be working together in the romance film, Love You So Bad. And the story? It's inspired by one of the classics in Philippine cinema, Dahil Mahal na Mahal Kita. With this cast and kind of story it'll tell us, we're definitely seated.

Love You So Bad will be directed by Mae Cruz-Alviar and written by Crystal San Miguel. Direk Mae is known for her award-winning films, namely, Rewind, Crazy Beautiful You, and also for her well-loved series like 2 Good 2 Be True, Can't Buy Me Love, and more. Meanwhile, Crystal is known for being part of the minds that created Hello, Love, Again, and Un/Happy For You.

In an interview with MJ Felipe uploaded on August 21, 2025, Direk Mae and Crystal disclosed how they're looking forward to working with the three young celebs.

With the clamor that Will, Bianca, and Dustin created during their time inside Bahay ni Kuya—and even after they returned to the outside world—Crystal noted that the three had always been in the back of their minds for a potential film.

Thankfully, the stars aligned for all of them and now, they're months away from completing the film together. Crystal pointed out, "Ever since naman, kami sa Star Cinema, we always wanted to tell the story na, ano na ba ang yung love story ng generation ngayon? Ganon, parang both the concept and then the casting fell into the right place at the right time."

The filmmakers also touched on how Love You So Bad is inspired by Wenn V. Deramas's Dahil Mahal na Mahal Kita, which starred Rico Yan, Claudine Barretto, and Diether Ocampo. (It's a fave across generations!)

"May strong characters doon. Also, it's not just a love story. Na-capture niya rin kasi 'yung generation noon. Until now, it has become timeless. May debate pa rin about sa themes na tinackle ng film na yun," Crystal said.

Direk Mae clarifies that it's not a remake of the 1998 film. "It's not a remake. It's just inspired by—"inspired by" because the story, this is relevant to this day. It's timeless. It's a classic love triangle story, and we wanted a story that can capture that," the director explained.

Love You So Bad will, of course, take a more modern take on relationships, love triangles, and the different forms of love. Direk Mae assured, "We are here to deliver a love story that will be exciting, kilig, but of course, with depth."

She added, "Kailangan natin ng kwento na hindi lang siya tungkol sa romance, but all forms of love. And of course, a formidable love triangle—siyempre both men are worthy of love."

With that comes the challenge of satisfying the audience and still putting on a good story onscreen, especially with their love triangle arc. Admittedly, Direk Mae knows how challenging it will be to balance the story with two love teams onscreen, WillCa and DusBia.

"It's always a challenge naman pag love triangle di ba. [...] I'm sure magiging debated yan. They want her [leading lady] to end up with whoever they're shipping. Yun yung challenge talaga eh, paano ba natin gagawing patas ang laban," she said.

But regardless of the upcoming—or rather, ongoing—debate on who the better onscreen couple is, Will, Bianca, and Dustin are just happy, excited, and grateful for the opportunity that was given to them.

"Dream come true ito para sa'min... Nakaka-proud na mapa-bilang sa proyekto na ito," Will said.

For Dustin, aside from wanting to work on a big project with Will and Bianca, the fact that he'll also be working with Direk Mae just keeps him thrilled. "Sabi ko nga sa kanya [Direk Mae] kanina, halos lahat ng ginawa ni Direk, pinapanood ko talaga," Dustin shared.

Aside from that, Love You So Bad will be produced not just by Star Cinema but also by GMA Films and Regal Entertainment. It's another groundbreaking project where three of the biggest production houses in the country have united for a movie!

"Everything's happening so fast... Parang kahapon lang Big Night lang, and then now, we're doing this big project, this milestone with Regal, GMA, and of course, Star Cinema. I'm very, very happy," Bianca expressed.