Excitement is building up for the upcoming Darna TV series, following the recent announcement of its November shoot and the revelation of its cast members.
After nearly seven years since Angel Locsin was announced to reprise the role, the iconic Pinay superhero is finally all set to conquer the skies, and this time, as Jane de Leon exclaimed, “di na po ito, prank…” It is indeed happening as cast members—except the villains—have been recently introduced to the public. The first leg of the show’s lock-in-tapings is well underway in just a month.
What makes us excited about this series? The following reasons are very likely every fan’s reasons, too, why they should be excited about this upcoming television event, too:
It stars Jane de Leon in the lead role.
Those who have followed her on FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano surely have the idea that de Leon is somewhat already comfortable doing action scenes. The road to her selection may be long and tedious, but now that she’s all set to don the red suit, there is practically nothing else to feel but excitement.
Chito Roño is at the helm of the series.
Roño already handled one of Mars Ravelo’s creations in the past. He was the director of the 2007 TV adaptation of Lastikman, which remains among the best TV serializations of the popular comic book character. Roño also directed some of the most successful horror and fantasy-themed movies and series, which means that his expertise in this field is unquestionable.
The series will fully utilize ABS-CBN’s world-class and state-of-the-art soundstages.
ABS-CBN has partly used its humongous production studios in Bulacan for some of its recent shows, but not in the way Darna: The Series will utilize it. The state-of-the-art equipment and technology that these soundstages offer will help Darna’s production team, who most likely envisions the series, to be one of the most ambitious TV productions of 2022.
Joshua Garcia will be the main leading man of the series.
Other than the upcoming TV show, Viral, Joshua Garcia will also be part of the series. His 2022 will surely be one of his busiest years, as he appears in multiple big projects. He will be playing a police officer named Bryan in the series, who may become Narda’s main love interest.
Rio Locsin, one of the first Darnas, is part of the cast.
Locsin, who also donned the red suit in 1979, for the film Bira! Darna, Bira! In the upcoming series, she will be playing Narda’s grandmother, Roberta. Locsin’s inclusion in the series will surely be one thing to look forward to a known high-caliber actress.
Zaijian Jaranilla plays Darna’s ultimate sidekick, Ding.
The Santino we know may not be ‘little’ anymore, but he remains cute and is now a handsome, good-looking young man. He will have to make his charm work once again as he plays Darna’s ever-ready sidekick, Ding. Zaijian be better ready once his older sister shouts, ‘Ding, ang bato!’.
Iza Calzado plays Narda’s mother, who bestows her the magical white stone.
The role of the mysterious woman who handed Narda the sentient white stone had always been limited in various movies and series in the past, but here, the role is more likely to be explored better. Iza Calzado plays Narda’s mother, who is also the bearer of the magical stone. It remains to be seen how the upcoming series will expand her role, but excitement for it has already mounted.
This series is pegged to be among ABS-CBN’s banner series in 2022.
Among the shows that are expected to premiere next year, Darna: the TV series is undoubtedly one of the biggest. It is expected to be ambitious in size, scope, and budget, making it one of the biggest productions in the local entertainment scene next year.
The actress who will play Valentina is yet to be announced.
While many of the show’s cast members are already introduced, fans remain clueless about the actress’s identity who will play Darna’s ultimate nemesis, Valentina. The guessing game of who that very lucky actress is still keeps fans thinking. Who is it gonna be? We may never know until the formal announcement.
The significance of Darna’s return to the skies to ABS-CBN’s quest to return to its former glory.
As a symbol of hope and defender of justice, Darna’s return is more likely to draw a powerful metaphor for ABS-CBN’s possible return to free television. ABS-CBN was forced to go off-the-air last year following the denial of its franchise application, which is deemed by many as a grand attempt to disable the free press in the country.
What about you? What excites you the most about the upcoming Darna: The TV series? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
