MANILA, Philippines — Alden Richards said he has been waiting for the sequel to “Hello, Love, Goodbye,” keeping it close to his heart. His leading lady, Kathryn Bernardo, meanwhile, was “surprised” that their 2019 film will have a sequel titled “Hello, Love, Again.”

Alden and Kathryn, together with their director Cathy Garcia-Sampana, led the special announcement of the sequel on Sunday in ABS-CBN, attended by the executives of both ABS-CBN and GMA.

“Hello, Love, Again” will be the first-ever movie collaboration between ABS-CBN’s Star Cinema and GMA’s GMA Pictures.

“Parang panaginip… Hindi po kami makapaniwala na finally it’s happening. It’s happening this year and we couldn’t be more excited po on what’s about to unfold in the next couple of months,” Alden said.

The actor noted that the first film, released in 2019, saw the union of actors from different networks. He is with GMA’s Sparkle, while Kathryn is very much identified with ABS-CBN and its talent arm Star Magic.

He is happy that apart from them starring in the upcoming sequel, their networks have decided to collaborate for their first film together.

“Ako, inintay ko rin siya. Kumbaga after seeing the film over and over again, ‘yung pangarap na ‘yun, nasa puso ko lang in the past five years so, finally nga, dreams do come true nga talaga,” he added.

Host MJ Felipe remarked that he did not expect the sequel, noting how Kathryn’s announced movie projects for the year were “A Very Good Girl,” which was released earlier this year, and the upcoming period film “Elena 1944.”

“‘Di ba na-surprise ka? Ako rin. I was surprised too,” replied Kathryn.

The actress said that she might have been surprised, but she is also excited because making sequels can be challenging. She added that she did not expect a sequel to “Hello, Love, Goodbye.” She was only informed about the sequel this year after “A Very Good Girl.”

“It feels very familiar, but at the same time, it’s different this time because it’s been five years and five years is such a long time.

“I’ve changed. I think we all did. Lahat tayo nagbago and I’m just curious kung ano ‘yung mabibigay namin this time around. I was just 23 [when filming ‘Hello, Love, Goodbye], and then now, I just turned 28. So ‘yung five years na ‘yun, anong nangyari sa growth namin personally. Of course, ano naman ‘yung maging growth when it comes to Ethan and Joy. Tinatantya pa namin, but then it’s an exciting feeling,” Kathryn said.

As a parting message, the actress said, “It’s finally happening… It’s not gonna be easy but then, here we are. This is so exciting. We thought we already said our goodbyes, but here we are, saying our hellos.”

The 2019 film “Hello, Love, Goodbye” tells the story of Ethan (Alden) and Joy (Kathryn), who meet and fall in love in Hong Kong. The film ended with the lovers deciding to part ways to pursue their dreams and their promises to their families.

Its sequel, “Hello, Love, Again,” will hit Philippine theaters on November 13, 2024. — Video by Kathleen A. Llemit, editing by Martin Ramos