Erik Matti says Nadine Lustre is his pick to replace Liza Soberano as Darna

MANILA, Philippines – Even Erik Matti is on Team #DarNadine.

The former director for the upcoming Darna remake weighed in on the ongoing conversation about who will take over the Darna role after Liza Soberano’s exit, and for him, it’s Nadine Lustre.

“After [Liza] I only see Nadine Lustre so far as someone who can be Darna. Very sultry. She has a lot of female sensuality and at the same time still looks tough and very Filipina,” Erik said in an interview with Ricky Lo of Philippine Star.

“The key to casting Darna has always been someone who can look plain and ordinary in her Narda alter ego but can be tough, spunk and can be very sexy as well when she transforms to Darna. Nadine can look all of that,” he said.

The Ulan actress was a favorite when netizens named their bets for the next Darna.

Im not being a bias but after liza i think nadine will be the perfect girl to portray darna cause she’s fierce and she has the pure filipina features #BagongDarna pic.twitter.com/KWknJffBbm

— Vijay (@VijayPalmiano) April 5, 2019

Aside from Nadine, Pia Wurtzbach, Maja Salvador, Maine Mendoza, and Kathryn Bernardo were also favored by netizens as the next actress to play the iconic role that has historically been played by the likes of Vilma Santos, Regine Velasquez, Marian Rivera, and Angel Locsin. (READ: After Liza Soberano’s exit, fans share picks for the next Darna)

Liza  has been training for the role since 2017, after taking over from Angel Locsin, who had to back out due to a back injury.

However, Liza announced on April 4 that she would be leaving the role too, after a finger injury she sustained from filming the fantasy series Bagani has been a hindrance for her to properly train and perform the stunts required of the character.

Erik spoke in the Philippine Star interview about how Liza would have been “a fresh and exciting Darna.”

“She’s young and embodies a lot of potential to create a modern take for this classic superhero character,” he said.

The director himself exited the Darna remake in October 2018, due to “creative differences” with ABS-CBN and Star Cinema. Goyo director Jerrold Tarog has since taken over as director. – Rappler.com