Iza Calzado to play Darna in upcoming ABS-CBN series

Iza Calzado will be portraying Darna in the upcoming TV series headlined by Jane de Leon. The actress will be playing the first Darna in the series, and the mother of the titular heroine.

Iza will be passing on the magical stone to her daughter Narda (Jane de Leon), which transforms her into superhero Darna.

According to ABS-CBN, Iza had waited long to be a part of 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. Everything always happens in His perfect time,” she said.

Iza was considered for the role by GMA Network in the early 2000s, but the deal didn’t push through. Angel Locsin ended up taking the role in 2005.

“There have been changes in the cast and directors and as Direk Lauren (Dyogi) said, I am the constant,” she added. She also shared how meaningful being able to play such a “heroic” role is to her during these times.

“At a time of great crisis, there has got to be a hero we can relate to – someone who brings out the best in us and a representation not only of our strong but loving and compassionate core,” she said.

“A hero who has learned to embrace her strengths and weaknesses, knowing fully well that this only makes the light within brighter and allows for others to see and experience their own light,” Iza added, calling this the “Pandemic Darna” – someone who taps and brings out the hero in all of us, despite the odds, and “even without the ABS-CBN franchise.”

The Darna TV series is set to begin production in September. ABS-CBN announced that Jane de Leon had been finishing her remaining scenes in the long-running series FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.

The Filipino comic book adaptation was initially supposed to be a feature film, but the movie was postponed indefinitely in August 2020 following a long pause in both TV and movie production because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jane was announced as the new Darna in 2019, after actress Liza Soberano backed out due to health reasons. Liza, in turn, had been cast to replace Angel Locsin, who also bowed out of the role due to health reasons.

The project has also seen two directors take the helm. Jerrold Tarog was set to direct the Darna movie after Erik Matti stepped down from the project.

ABS-CBN finally announced in December 2020 that the project would push through as a TV series. Tarog confirmed in January 2021 that he would not be part of the TV series due to scheduling conflicts. – Rappler.com