Jane de Leon named new Darna

“MARAMING MARAMING SALAMAT PO SA TIWALA! Pangako po na pagtratrabahuhan ko po ito at ibibigay ko ang lahat.” (Photo: @iamjanedeleon/Instagram)

Twenty-year-old Kapamilya actress Jane de Leon is officially named as the new Darna, portraying the role for the upcoming Star Cinema film.

The production company initially announced the news last Wednesday, July 17, Jane also taking to her 819,000 Instagram followers to say, “Thank you for the trust! I promise I will really work hard on this and I’ll give it my all,” referring to the iconic superhero role previously portrayed by the likes of Angel Locsin, Marian Rivera, Vilma Santos, and Lorna Tolentino. Jane also commits, “I will do everything and anything for the role because I believe in her, I believe in what Darna stands for.

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When explaining the reason for the final decision, Star Cinema Managing Director Olivia Lamasan explains how the actress bested 300 other auditionees for the role, revealing, “Jane was presented to us a couple of years ago … there was this one talent handler who remembered her and told me, ‘Did you notice her back then? This kid, she can join beauty pageants.’ And then I saw her again in Halik. I thought, ‘This girl, she has something.’” Lamasan elaborates that because the Mars Ravelo plot of Darna is a “genesis” and “coming of age” story, Jane is a perfect fit because she is an actress “with an air of innocence but at the same time [have] a strength of character.”

The former It’s Showtime Girltrends member has previously appeared in films “Walwal” and “The Debutantes”; also granted roles in shows Ipaglaban Mo, La Luna Sangre, and Halik, where she portrayed Maggie Bartolome. 

The announcement of the new actress to portray Darna comes three months after Liza Soberano quit playing the role due to a finger injury. Director Erik Matti, who the project was assigned to six years ago, also left his post four months before that due to creative differences.