After years in development, Darna: The TV Series has finally began prodcution. Here’s what you should know about the anticipates series.
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After countless delays and setbacks, Pinoy comic books’ most iconic hero Darna is finally about to take flight. From changes in who’s going to play Darna to a revolving door of directors to lead the project, the Darna TV series is almost here. Created by Mars Ravelo, Darna is back for the 21st century. As we wait in anticipation for the release of this modern take on the beloved hero, here is what you need to know about the show so far.
THE CAST
Following Angel Locsin, who played the character in the 2005 TV series, and Liza Soberano, we’ve known that Jane de Leon was set to play the titular heroine, who hails from the planet Marte, for some time. Now, we know who else is set to join her in the series. During the cast reveal held at the ABS-CBN Soundstage in Bulacan, it was revealed that Joshua Garcia would be playing the lead male role opposite de Leon. The actor will be playing Brian Samonte Robles, a police officer, and EMT. He will serve as Darna/Narda’s love interest in the show.
Zaijian Jaranilla is set to play Narda’s younger brother Ding. Jog Agpangan will play Mara, Narda’s best friend. Kiko Estrada is Noah Ballesteros, the son of the mayor where Narda is from. As previously reported, Iza Calzado will play Leonor Custodio, which we will get more into later. Janella Salvador, meanwhile, will take on the role of the iconic villain, Valentina, and the main foil to Darna. The show will she Janella portray Regina/Valentina, a lawyer-vlogger cursed with snakes for hair.
Other members of the cast include Gerard Acao, Tart Carlos, Marvin Yap, Zepy Borromeo, Yogo Singh, LA Santos, Young JV, Mark Manicad, Levi Ignacio, Simon Ibarra, Richard Quan, and Rio Locsin.
THERE WILL BE MORE THAN ONE DARNA IN THE SHOW
While Jane de Leon’s Darna will be the focus of the show, she won’t be the only Darna featured in the series. Iza Calzado’s Leonor Custodio will be the first Darna in the series. She will be the one to pass on the magical stone to her daughte, Narda. Leonor is meant to serve as a mother and mentor figure to Narda.
Speaking of more Darnas, Rio Locsin actually played Darna in the past. She portrayed the iconic superhero in the 1979 film Bira! Darna Bira! While she won’t be playing Darna in the show, Rio Locsin’s addition to the show could be seen as a nice easter egg for fans of Darna.
THE PLOT
For the longest time, the plot of the show was kept under wraps. But after the release of the main trailer, we know what mostly is going to do down. The series sees Narda being trained by her mom to protect herself and become the next Darna. But Narda doesn’t feel she’s ready to take on the mantle of Darna yet. When her mom sadly gets killed during an alien attack, Narda reluctantly becomes the next Darna but refuses the white stone and goes into hiding.
Years later, as tragedy strikes anew and dark forces are on the search for the stone, Narda must now become Darna and save the world. This modern take on Darna sees her as more assured of herself. She’s giving strong independent woman vibes which is very much welcome. As for Valentina, it looks like she won’t become the series villain just yet as her snakes powers will come as something that haunts her.
DARNA: THE TV SERIES WILL HAVE TWO DIRECTORS
Two directors are set to take the lead for the upcoming series. The first is acclaimed filmmaker Chito S. Rono. You may know him for films like the iconic Feng Shui, Dekada ’70, and Signal Rock. This will mark the first TV series Chito has directed in over a decade. The second director is Avel Sunpongco, a veteran when it comes to directing TV shows as his previous work includes Kadenang Ginto, Ang Probinsyano, and Ikaw Lamang. The series will be produced by JRB Creative Production. The show even has some international expertise behind it as Michael Matthews, one of the stunt coordinators of the show, has worked on Hollywood blockbusters like Thor: Love and Thunder and Pirates of the Caribbean.
WE DON’T KNOW HOW THE KNEW DARNA COSTUME LOOKS LIKE, YET
While we’ve seen bits of the show including how Iza Calzado’s Darna will look like, which looks to be on the more classic side of things with a slight modern twist, we don’t know how de Leon’s Darna costume looks. It’s arguably one of the most anticipated aspects of the new show but ABS-CBN most likely is saving that anticipated look for later.
THE SERIES WILL AIR IN AUGUST 2022
As revealed in the official full trailer, Darna: The TV Series will air beginning August 2022 on a slew of channels and platforms. Specifically, it will premiere on August 15, replacing the timeslot of long running teleserye Ang Probinsyano. The cinematography, action, and CGI look competent and the production looks like it had a sizable budget around it. The teaser poster for the show alone is already top notch and we hope the show will not disappoint.
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