‘Darna’ film to be postponed indefinitely

Production for the upcoming ABS-CBN Darna film starring Jane De Leon will be halted indefinitely, due to the pandemic’s effect on the local film industry.

In a press statement released on Friday, August 21, ABS-CBN said the decision came after the “careful deliberation on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on movie production and cinemas.”

“We are committed to following production guidelines under the new normal and the safety of the actors and production team is a top priority,” ABS-CBN said.

However, because the action superhero film requires many fight scenes, large crowd shots, complex logistics, stunts, and acts that involve physical contact, ABS-CBN concluded that it would be “difficult to give justice to the superhero film while strictly adhering to the guidelines.”

“We are still in the midst of an unprecedented health crisis that makes it also difficult to assess when cinemas will recover and see audiences returning,” they added.

ABS-CBN thanked the cast, staff, and production crew for all the hard work they put into the project, as well as all Darna fans for their “unrelenting support and understanding.”

The postponement comes 7 months after director Jerrold Tarog teased day one of shooting on January 19.

The film has seen many delays since 2018 – Erik Matti was originally set to direct with Angel Locsin as the lead, but Angel had to leave the project due to health reasons, while Erik parted with Star Cinema due to creative differences.

Twenty-one-year-old Jane De Leon was chosen to play Darna in July 2019 after Liza Soberano bowed out of the project due to a finger injury. – Rappler.com