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"In 2005, Mulawin paved the way for Encantadia. 12 years later, Encantadia is paving the way for Mulawin, and for that, we are very fortunate and graciously grateful," said Mulawin VS Ravena director, creator, writer Don Michael Perez.

Before the airing of Mulawin VS Ravena first episode tonight, Don Michael told the story of his humble beginnings in the entertainment industry and how he gave birth to Mulawin via a Facebook post.

Don Michael started with a trivia about the original Mulawin which became a phenomenon over a decade ago. He wrote, "Mulawin was conceived in 2004 but had its early beginnings back in 1997."

"It was another rainy day in Tagaytay in 2004. We had marching orders from upper management to come up with a SUPER-SOAP, one that would topple the reigning primetime soap Marina, and finally, put GMA in number one position. After several ideas were thrown around and discussed, I proposed a concept about a winged girl – half-human/half-bird – how she was different from the others, how she was ridiculed for being a hunchback, how the protrusion on her back was actually a pair of wings she was hiding all her life, and how she would eventually confront her fears, take flight, and embrace her destiny as the ‘chosen one.’ My premise was this: if Marina owned the sea, we can take the sky! And so, there was Alwina," he shared.

In 2004, Mulawin's reigned in television and brought the Kapuso network on top. After the iconic telefanya's successful run, Don Michael said he never put its unique story to an end. "During the last 12 years, I would still write notes about possible plot ideas for a Mulawin reboot. I was approached to write a graphic novel, a video game, a children’s book, and spin-offs of certain characters. I even toyed with the idea of writing a libretto for a Mulawin Musical (I haven’t abandoned this thought, up to now). I would occasionally dream about Avila, and would wake up trying in vain to put those dreams into writing," he wrote.

When Don Michael knew that Encantadia was set to retell its story, he immediately thought that Mulawin, too, must be shown to the new generation of viewers. He wrote, "It wasn’t until GMA decided to do a remake of Encantadia, that I realized a Mulawin comeback is in the offing. 

Don Michael explained, "MULAWIN VS RAVENA is a sequel, not a remake or a retelling. It draws from the Mythology and History of MULAWIN (2004), and continues from the story and timeline of MULAWIN THE MOVIE (2005)."

"As creator, writer and co-collaborator with Direk Dominic Zapata, who has done a tremendous job in bringing to life the Mulawin universe, I invite you to step into the world I only dreamt about. We will take you back to Avila, Halconia, and Tierra Fuego. We may have forgotten what it was like to fly, but with our Ugatpak we can get back our wings…and soar to the skies," he ended his note.

Read Don Michael's full Facebook post.

Photos by: /don.m.perez(FB)