Iza Calzado to take on mentor role in Jane De Leon's ‘Darna’ reboot series
Iza Calzado has landed a role in the highly-anticipated Darna TV series. This time, she will be the one to pass on the iconic stone to Jane De Leon's Darna.
The actress confirmed the news, sharing with the Philippine STAR, "Finally, I can claim to be part of the Pinoy superhero history! I almost had the chance in the past, but God had other plans. I was not meant to be that Darna but he surely prepared me to play this Darna,”
Calzado was originally up against Angel Locsin for the Dominic Zapata and Eric Quizon-directed 2005 series. The titular role eventually went to Locsin.
In the 2021 reboot presented by ABS-CBN, Iza is slated to portray the "original" superhero/mentor that will introduce Jane's Darna to her superpowers. The actress has been preparing for the role through training and stunt coach sessions since 2018.
"Iza will officially be part of the Darna TV series that will start shooting last quarter." shared ABS-CBN Head of TV Production Laurenti Dyogi. "We promise Iza will play a dream role. But this one is an important role for Iza, it will be fun and an important role in the series."
This reboot didn't come without a few hiccups, as Liza Soberano exited the project after an incident while shooting her 2018 TV series Bagani. Director Erik Matti also left the project and was replaced by Heneral Luna director, Jerrold Tarrog.
Tarrog then promptly exited the project amid schedule conflicts in early 2021.
Unfortunately, I'm not going to be involved in the TV series due to scheduling conflicts. But some doors remain open regarding my future involvement in the Ravelo universe. We will see. For now, I wish ABS-CBN & @Imjanedeleon all the best. Let's continue to support them. https://t.co/3uwBCH4KR1
— Jerrold Tarog (@JerroldTarog) January 13, 2021
Mars Ravelo’s Darna: The TV Series is set to start shooting this September and set for a 2022 release.