Ten months after he returned to the Philippines after decades in the U.S., Regal Entertainment scion Keith Monteverde premieres "Untold" – his first end-to-end theatrical film project as producer and the last greenlit by his venerated grandmother, Lily, before she died in August 2024 at the age of 85. 

A continuation of Regal Entertainment’s long and strong horror roots, "Untold" premieres on 30 April, starring Philippines’ A-lister Jodi Sta. Maria as Vivian Vera, an award-winning journalist whose dark past distorting truth and ruining lives comes back to haunt her. Delving into terrifying consequences of misinformation, the core question is “can you be an honest reporter in this day and age?,” Monteverde says.

"Untold", which has been in the works since 2023, reunites writer Enrico Santos and director Roderick “Derick” Cabrido, who were behind "Mallari" (2023), a horror tale about a 19th-century serial killer priest and his descent into madness. 

"Untold" is Regal Entertainment’s first project with Cabrido as well as with Sta. Maria, although the director and actress worked together on blockbusters such as Clarita, a 2019 supernatural horror film in which Sta. Maria plays a young woman alleged to have been possessed by a demon while in prison.

Monteverde, who describes Untold as a “powerhouse collaboration of horror”, returned to the Philippines in June last year to join the family business, learn as much as he could from his legendary grandmother as well as his mother, Roselle Monteverde, Regal Entertainment’s president and CEO.

Lily Monteverde founded Regal Entertainment in the 1960s as a distribution outfit, expanding into film production in the early 1970s. By the 1990s, Regal was among the top film studios in the country, launching stars such as Maricel Soriano, Snooky Serna, Dina Bonnevie and Richard Gomez and producing across a wide range of genres, horror in particular. With the "Shake, Rattle & Roll" franchise, which is the biggest horror franchise in the Philippines, Regal cemented its place in Asia’s horror hall of fame, a legacy continued by Keith’s mother, Roselle. 

“I thought I would have more time [with grandmother Lily],” he told ContentAsia ahead of Regal Entertainment’s trip to Hong Kong Filmart, which opens on 17 March. 

Appointed as executive vice president in September 2024, Monteverde is eyeing regional expansion, beginning with neighbouring Southeast Asian markets, and looking at ways to adjust to changed movie-going realities. 

"Untold" kickstarts these growth plans. Monteverde says it has “been a while since we released a film outside the Philippines” apart from film festivals, such as the 2025 Manila International Film Festival (MIFF) in Los Angeles this month. 

Regal Entertainment’s romantic comedy, “My Future You”, screened at MIFF, winning Seth Fedelin the Best Actor award for his role as Lex, who connects with Karen (Francine Diaz) through a dating app. The film also earned Crisanto B. Aquino the award for Best Director. 

Upcoming film projects include romcom "Cheat Day" and horror film "Paramdam". 

Perhaps best known for film, Regal also has a prolific TV division which produces the weekly anthology series, Regal Studio Presents, in collaboration with Philippines’ broadcaster GMA Network. The show was recently renewed for its 16th and 17th seasons. 

Although the company will continue to produce across genres, horror remains a cornerstone. “As a family, we’ve always been passionate about horror,” Monteverde says. 

Of the final three movies Lily Monteverde greenlit, "Untold" was not only the last, it is also her final credit as executive producer and the biggest. “We made it the last, Monteverde says, “because she loved horror movies”. 

▶ Published in ContentAsia's 10 March 2025 eNewsletter