ABS-CBN and Star Cinema’s ‘Darna’ (2016) Film
Darna is one of the all-time favorite Filipino superheroes that has been adapted in various movies and television series through the years. In the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival, Star Cinema released the first teaser trailer for its upcoming Darna film before the screenings of its entries “Beauty and the Bestie” and “All You Need Is Pag-Ibig.”
Darna Teaser Trailer Leaked Online.
A Brief Background:
There have been numerous Darna film incarnations in the past dating as early as the 1950s with Royal Films ‘Darna’ (1951) and ‘Darna at ang Babaing Lawin’ (1952) (Darna and the Hawk Woman) starring Rosa del Rosario as Mars Ravelo’s fictional superheroine.
In the 1960s, People’s Pictures, Inc. released ‘Si Darna at ang Impakta’ (1963) (Darna and the Female Monster) where Liza Moreno played Darna with Danilo Jurado as Ding. This was followed by ‘Si Darna at ang Babaing Tuod’ (1965) (Darna and the Female Willow) and Tagalog Ilang-Ilang Productions’ ‘Isputnik vs. Darna’ which stars Liza Moreno as Darna pitted against another superheroine named Isputnik played by the late Nida Blanca who was introduced in an earlier film.
The first full color Darna movie was produced by People’s Pictures Inc. with ‘Si Darna at ang Babaing Tuod’ (1965) starring Eva Montes. This was followed up by Vera Perez Productions’ ‘Darna at ang Planetman’ (1969) (Darna and the Planetman) starring Gina Pareño as both Darna and Daria, while Narda was played by the young Gina Alajar.
Darna returned in the ’70s with ‘Lipad, Darna, Lipad!’ (1973) (‘Fly, Darna, Fly!’) featuring the teenage ‘Star for all Season’ Vilma Santos as Darna. This was followed by ‘Darna and the Giants’ (1973), Darna vs. the Planetwomen (1975), and Darna and Ding (1980) with child wonder Niño Muhlach as Ding.
The first Darna television series created by Kitchie Benedicto was simply titled “Darna” (1977) starring Lorna Tolentino as Darna/Narda which aired on KBS 9 (RPN 9). It is worth mentioning that the late Philippine comedy king Dolphy played Darna in the parody ‘Darna, Kuno?’ (1979) (‘Playing as Darna?‘).
Viva Films’ Darna (1991) stars Nanette Medved in the lead role with then nine-year-old Francine Prieto (under her real name Anna Marie Falcon) as the young Narda. This was followed by Viva Films ‘Darna: Ang Pagbabalik’ (1994) (‘The Return of Darna’) with Anjanette Abayari playing the titular character. On a related note, in Viva Films’ Captain Barbel (1986) starring Herbert Bautista as Enteng and Edu Manzano as ‘Captain Barbel’, Sharon Cuneta appeared as Darna. This was the end of the era of Darna films that was followed by TV adaptations.
GMA Network picked up the Mar’s Ravelo character as part of their telefantasya block with ‘Mars Ravelo’s Darna’ (2005) starring Angel Locsin playing both Narda and Darna. Darna was once again rebooted in 2009 by the GMA Network with ‘Primetime Queen’ Marian Rivera.
Fast forward to 2016, the MMFF teaser trailer appeared to hype the upcoming Star Cinema film Mar’s Ravelo’s Darna (2016). Angel Locsin who has been a Kapamilya talent after her departure from GMA Network was set to once again play the role but backed out due to a medical condition. There have been various rumors and speculations on who will play the character, but for now Star Cinema has yet to make an official announcement.
