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Mars Ravelo's Darna (or simply Darna) is a 2022-2023 Philippine superhero series airing on Kapamilya Channel. The series is based on Mars Ravelo's Philippine fictional Directed by Chito S. Roño, Avel Sunpongco and Benedict Mique, it stars Jane De Leon in the titular role. The series premiered on August 15, 2022 on Kapamilya Channel's Primetime Bida evening block, A2Z, TV5's Todo Max Primetime Singko, and worldwide on The Filipino Channel, replacing FPJ's Ang Probinsyano. The show will conclude on February 10, 2023 with a total of 130 episodes. It will be replaced by FPJ's Batang Quiapo on its timeslot.
ABS-CBN acquired the adaptation rights to Darna on June 14, 2011, alongside other comic creations of Ravelo, which was previously with GMA Network. The network originally planned for a feature film adaptation to be made under the Star Cinema banner, starring Angel Locsin as Darna and directed by Erik Matti, but the project underwent a decade-long "development hell" due to regular cast and crew changes and script rewrites. Upon De Leon's casting as Darna in 2019, principal photography began the next year, but due to a soaring budget, the project was repurposed into a , developed for television by Dindo C. Perez (creative head), and Julie Anne R. Benitez (supervising producer) with a feature film still planned for release after the series finale.
Alongside its television broadcast, the series is released on the streaming service iWantTFC, as well as on YouTube for limited periods.
Premise[]
When fragments of a green crystal scatter in the city and turn people into destructive monsters, Narda embraces her destiny as Darna—the mighty protector of the powerful stone from Planet Marte.
Cast and characters[]
Main article: Click here for more upcoming Mars Ravelo's Darna chracters.
Main cast[]
- Jane de Leon as Darna / Narda Custodio: a young emergency medical technician, and the successor of Leonor as the protector of the mythical stone.
- Janella Salvador as Valentina / Regina Vanguardia✝: a lawyer and social media personality whose alter ego, Valentina, is cursed with living, venomous snakes for her hair. Valentina is Darna's archenemy. Regina has romantic feelings for Brian.
- Joshua Garcia as Brian Robles / Dark Brian: a young police officer and EMT, who falls into trap set by his own doppelganger named "Dark Brian". He is Narda's love interest.
- Paolo Gumabao as Noah Vallesteros: the son of Mayor Zaldy Vallesteros who bullied Brian when they were younger. He later develops romantic feelings for Narda. He turned into an extra after his father injected him a serum which he got in facility for extras. As an extra, his source of power is Pyrokinesis making him able to create and control fire anytime he wants. He was accidentally killed by Andre.
- Zaijian Jaranilla as Ricardo "Ding" Custodio: Narda's younger brother and sidekick, Ding is skillful with technology and computer games. He is also gifted with super vision.
- Mutya Orquia as Patricia Romero: Ding's classmate who has interest about Extras. Shee surprised herself that he was an extra, he hid it from Ding.
Supporting cast[]
- Yogo as Jiro Romero
- Kiara Takahashi as Jerma T. Chan
- Nicole Chan as Danielle Hocson
- Argel Saycon
- Abi Kaseem as Laurie Quintos
- Joshua Colet as Sigfried Cruz: a famous TV reporter of Nueva Esperanza.
- Viveika Ravanes as Rubi Carbonell: one of Custodio's neighbourhood.
- Zeppi Borromeo as Oleg Mendoza: one of Custodio's neighbourhood.
- Gerald Acao as Pancho Paras: one of Custodio's neighbourhood.
- Rio Locsin as Roberta Ferrer-Custodio: and Ding's grandmother, Danilo's mother and Leonor's mother-in-law.
- Richard Quan as General Borgo / Atty. Rex Vanguardia: invader of the planet Marte. Regina's strict and controlling father. Regina, only wants to make him proud all the time. He killed the real Rex Vanguardia in order to watch over his most powerful weapon, Valentina. One of his defining power is his shapeshifting abilities.
- Levi Ignacio as Dr. Rolando Villalobos: a scientist who studies alien presence on Earth. He poses as a street food vendor and is close to Narda and her family. He later replaced Dr. Ibarra as the head of the facility for extras after Dr. Ibarra was killed by Darna.
- L.A. Santos as Richard Miscala: Narda and Brian's fellow EMT at Vanguardia Rescue. He discovered Narda's identity as Darna after witnessing her transformation.
- Kira Balinger as Luna: a warrior from planet Marte, trained by Zora to be the next protector of the stone.
- Justin Rick Alonzo as Darwin Sebastian Vanguardia: Regina Vanguardia's younger brother and Rex Vanguardia's father. He is Regina's carefree brother who only thinks about himself and plans to die.
Very Special-Role[]
- Iza Calzado as Darna / Zora / Leonor Custodio (original Darna): a “prime warrior” from Planet Marte. An EMT on Earth and the mother of Narda & Ding. She is the original Darna who will pass on the magical stone to her daughter Narda before she dies in battle.
"Extras" cast[]
- Jerald Napoles as Fredo Mitron / Strength Man: A former miner and the first ever "Extra" that Darna fought as her alter ego, Narda. He possesses superhuman strength and can sustain any physical attacks that he uses to destroy anything at will.
- Dominic Ochoa as Engr. Javier Toledo / Lindol Man: The second "extra" who is an engineer. He wants to reveal about the corruption behind the building of a facility using substandard materials. But Mayor's men stopped him by burying him alive by filling concrete cement on him. His powers includes the ability to control and manifest earthquakes at will. He also has telekinesis/geokinesis that he once used to lift big stones to attack the goons.
- Christian Bables as Dr. Alex Dela Torre / Killer Ghost:[19] The third "Extra". A former doctor, He kills his target using poisonous drug and he has a power to be invicible and pass through walls anytime he wants.
- Neil Coleta as Vincent Eugenio/Clone Man: The fourth "extra". His powers includes kinetic replication and limited teleportation which he uses to produce multiple clones of himself to either fight and escape.
- Boom Labrusca as Angelo Villacorta / Silent Shocker: The fifth "extra". His powers includes Electrokinesis which he uses to disrupt and control anything that uses electricity. He can also form an energy shield using electricity to defend himself for attacks like bullets.
- Loren Burgos as Prof. Luisa Espritu / Human Urchin: An extra. After getting stabbed to death by the two men who robbed and molested her, she resurrected as an extra with the power of summoning spikes of sizes which is similar to human bones.
- Karl Gabriel as Inno Camarin/Dragon Mouth: An "extra". A member of the X-Triad (play on extra and triad). He spits acid fluid and melts anything it lands into.
- Jef Gaitan as Klara Balisi/Seductress: An "extra". A member of the X-Triad, who has the power of hypnotism that she uses to disable her target mentally (specifically men) and command them to do as she pleases.
Henz Villaraiz[24] as Miguel Lagdameo/Boy Chop-Chop: An "extra". A member of the X-Triad who can detach his hands from his body. He once used this to ability to steal siopao from a store. He is also Lola Trining's missing grandson.
- Enchong Dee[25] as Elijah "Eli" Torres/Levitator: An "extra". A journalist who is constantly bullied because of his dad being a killer, he attempted suicide but was talked out of it by Luisa. He has telekinesis.
- Young JV as Andre Abesamis: Narda and Brian's fellow EMT at Vanguardia Rescue. Dr. Ibarra's men kidnapped him that turns him into an extra.
- Joshua Colet as Sigfried Cruz: the popular TV news reporter of Nueva Esperanza. He later becomes an extra giving him the power to summon a force field around him and others.
- Simon Ibarra as Mayor Zaldy Vallesteros / Mr. X: the former councilor of Nueva Esperanza who set up the death of the incumbent mayor and vice mayor in order to seize the mayoralty position. He despises his son Noah, blaming him for the death of his wife, Noah's mother. He became an extra with the power to grow in size.
- Eric Fructuoso as PEMS Arthur Pineda: a corrupt police officer in Nueva Esperanza, who despise the Robleses. He is responsible for killing Brian's father. He later becomes an extra by Borgo enabling him to control waste and trash.
- Mark Manicad as Ali Corpuz: Regina's bodyguard who has secret feelings on her. Aside from General Borgo/Rex Vanguardia, he is the only one to know that Regina and Valentina are the same person. He later becomes an extra to get revenge on Darna who he believes killed Valentina. As an extra, he gained heat vision.
- Dawn Chang as Maisha Rodriguez: Mayor Zaldy's secretary. She also serves as the eyes and ears of Madam Victoria/General Borgo in the city hall. She becomes one of Borgo's super soldier extras giving her the power to hypnotize people allowing them to copy her every move.
- Nico Antonio as Vorian: Ishna's older brother and aide of General Borgo. He was a protégé of Hergis. He is killed by Borgo, prompting Ishna to turn her back on the latter.
- Mark Andaya
Former cast[]
- Mike Lloren as Vice Mayor Felizardo "Feli" Gizmundo: The vice mayor of Nueva Esperanza. He became mayor after the revelation of Zaldy's crimes and the fact that he is now already an extra.
- Bing Davao as Gen. Diaz: The general who serves as acting mayor of Nueva Esperanza after the death of Mayor Felizardo.
- Bart Guingona as Mayor Emilio Baron: The mayor of Nueva Esperanza who, along with his vice mayor, died in a plane crash sabotaged by councilor Zaldy Vallesteros in order to seize power.
- Joj Agpangan as Mara Fernandez
- Marvin Yap as Gardo Lara Cruz
- Yogo Singh as Jiro Romero
- Pepe Herrera
Special participation[]
- Joem Bascon as Danilo Custodio: the late husband of Leonor and the father of Narda and Ding. He died before the events that took place in the series, and has created a comic book, which he left to his family as a way to tell his children the story about Darna.
- Joko Diaz as Hergis / Master Klaudio: one of General Borgo's former allies from Ludo. He possesses shapeshifting abilities, enhanced vision and has shown mastery in hand-to-hand combat. He is the one who killed Leonor.
- Jeric Raval as PEMS Jaime Mercado Robles†: a dignified police officer of Nueva Esperanza, and Brian's father.
- Ketchup Eusebio as unknown character: the one saved by Darna on an earthquake.
- Bart Guingona as Mayor Emilio Baron: The former mayor of Nueva Esperanza. He, along with the Vice Mayor got killed in a plane crash that was set up by councilor Zaldy Vallesteros.
- Alireza Libre as Roger Veluz: The man who brought bomb inside the mall with himself because he wants to talk to the mall owner. He did that to give justice to the death of his entire family.
- Bani Baldiserri as Dr. Armando Feliciano: the head of Vanguardia Rescue. He is responsible for the death of Alex's father.
- Jenny Jamora as Sally Toledo: Javier's pregnant wife who is looking for him after he mysteriously vanish, she gave birth by the help of Narda.
- Lloyd Zaragoza as Arnold Bautista: a notorious carnapper of Nueva Esperanza. He asked money to Ali in exchange of his silence but he was killed by Regina/Valentina.
- Anne Feo as Dra. Ava Bartolome: she doctor who supports the suspension of Alex' father when his patient died under his care became viral in social media. Because of this, she was killed by Alex by injecting her poisonous drug.
- Lui Manansala as Trining: Miguel's grandmother who Narda aided when she pass out in the street.
- Carla Martinez as Madam Victoria: a rich woman who invest much in Nueva Esperanza. She is actually General Borgo's disguise.
- Mike Liwag as Juancho: a TV talk show host of Juan On Juan along with Juanito.
- Lito Pimentel as Dr. Florentino Ibarra: He is the scientist in-charge of the facility for the Extras.
- Celeste Cortesi as Kevnar (finale episode): She is the reigning Queen of Marte.
Episodes[]
Main article: Click for more information about Mars Ravelo's Darna episodes.
Series overview[]
| Season | Episodes | Originally aired | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | |||
| 1 | 65 | August 15, 2022 | November 11, 2022 | |
| 2 | 65 | November 14, 2022 | February 10, 2023 | |
Episode titles[]
Season 1[]
| No.overall | No. in
season |
Title | Social Media hashtag | Original release date | AGB Nielsen Ratings (NUTAM People) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "The Protector[a]" | #Darna[b] | August 15, 2022 | 10.5%[4] |
| 2 | 2 | "The Invasion" | #FirstDarna[5] | August 16, 2022 | 10.6%[6] |
| 3 | 3 | "The Strongman" | #BayanNiDarna[7] | August 17, 2022 | 10.9%[8] |
| 4 | 4 | "The Crossroad" | #DarnaAtExtras[9] | August 18, 2022 | 10.8%[10] |
| 5 | 5 | "The Stone" | #LipadDarna[11] | August 19, 2022 | 11.1%[12] |
| 6 | 6 | "Narda's Destiny" | #DarnaIsHere | August 22, 2022 | 10.5%[13] |
| 7 | 7 | "The Master" | #DarnaStalker | August 23, 2022 | 9.7%[14] |
| 8 | 8 | "The Aftershock" | #DarnaAftermath | August 24, 2022 | 9.4%[15] |
| 9 | 9 | "The Apparition" | #DarnaVision | August 25, 2022 | 9.0%[16] |
| 10 | 10 | "A Mother’s Return" | #DarnaReturns | August 26, 2022 | 8.6%[17] |
| 11 | 11 | "The Shapeshifter" | #DarnaAndDing | August 29, 2022 | 8.3%[18] |
| 12 | 12 | "The Evil that Lurks" | #DarnaGoodAndBad | August 30, 2022 | 9.8%[19] |
| 13 | 13 | "An Explosive Return" | #DarnaSavesTheDay | August 31, 2022 | 9.1%[20] |
| 14 | 14 | "The Snake Woman" | #DarnaValentina | September 1, 2022 | 9.4%[21] |
| 15 | 15 | "The City's Monsters" | #DarnaCityBeasts | September 2, 2022 | 9.0%[22] |
| 16 | 16 | "Out of the Den" | #DarnaToTheRescue | September 5, 2022 | 9.1%[23] |
| 17 | 17 | "Extras Anonymous" | #DarnaExtraChallenge | September 6, 2022 | 8.6%[24] |
| 18 | 18 | "The Voices" | #DarnaVoices | September 7, 2022 | 8.8%[25] |
| 19 | 19 | "Task Force Extra" | #DarnaExtraTask | September 8, 2022 | 8.2%[26] |
| 20 | 20 | "The Smokescreen" | #DarnaCoverUp | September 9, 2022 | 8.3%[27] |
| 21 | 21 | "Ghost Hunt" | #DarnaGhostHunt | September 12, 2022 | 9.0%[28] |
| 22 | 22 | "Ghost Fight" | #DarnaVsGhost | September 13, 2022 | 7.5%[29] |
| 23 | 23 | "Heroes" | #AkoSiDarna | September 14, 2022 | 8.2%[30] |
| 24 | 24 | "Memento" | #DarnaRelics | September 15, 2022 | 8.1%[31] |
| 25 | 25 | "Inner Turmoil" | #DarnaAndDemons | September 16, 2022 | 7.6%[32] |
| 26 | 26 | "Sisterhood" | #DarnaGirlPower | September 19, 2022 | 7.8%[33] |
| 27 | 27 | "Zero in on the Heroine" | #DarnaHotspot | September 20, 2022 | 7.5%[34] |
| 28 | 28 | "The Clone Man" | #DarnaCloneMan | September 21, 2022 | 7.3%[35] |
| 29 | 29 | "A Change of Heart" | #DarnaWheelOfFate | September 22, 2022 | 7.8%[36] |
| 30 | 30 | "One at a Time" | #DarnaEncounter | September 23, 2022 | 7.2%[37] |
| 31 | 31 | "Hero to Zero" | #DarnaBoycott | September 26, 2022 | 7.1%[38] |
| 32 | 32 | "Venomous Vigilante" | #DarnaFalseHero | September 27, 2022 | 6.8%[39] |
| 33 | 33 | "Guns Up" | #DarnaShootToKill | September 28, 2022 | 6.7%[40] |
| 34 | 34 | "Darna's Vulnerability" | #DarnaFaceOff | September 29, 2022 | 6.7%[41] |
| 35 | 35 | "Ding’s Vengeance" | #DarnaAvenge | September 30, 2022 | 6.5%[42] |
| 36 | 36 | "Darna's Bashers" | #DarnaNoHero | October 3, 2022 | 7.1%[43] |
| 37 | 37 | "Face to Face" | #DarnaTrueColors | October 4, 2022 | 6.4%[44] |
| 38 | 38 | "The Set Up" | #DarnaFrameUp | October 5, 2022 | 7.5%[45][46] |
| 39 | 39 | "Deja Vu" | #DarnaIamValentina | October 6, 2022 | 7.2%[47][48] |
| 40 | 40 | "Darna vs. Silent Shocker" | #DarnaSilentShocker | October 7, 2022 | 7.7 %[49] |
| 41 | 41 | "The General’s Right Hand" | #DarnaSuperHuman | October 10, 2022 | 7.0%[50] |
| 42 | 42 | "Four’s a Crowd" | #DarnaRevelations | October 11, 2022 | 7.1%[51] |
| 43 | 43 | "Abduction" | #DarnaHuntDown | October 12, 2022 | 7.2%[52] |
| 44 | 44 | "The Dark Side" | #DarnaDarkSide | October 13, 2022 | 6.3%[53] |
| 45 | 45 | "Stosium" | #DarnaAlliance | October 14, 2022 | 7.0%[54] |
| 46 | 46 | "Mission Accomplished" | #DarnaFriendsAndFoes | October 17, 2022 | 7.6%[55] |
| 47 | 47 | "Human Urchin" | #DarnaHumanUrchin | October 18, 2022 | 7.0%[56] |
| 48 | 48 | "Reflection" | #DarnaBlackMirror | October 19, 2022 | 7.4%[57] |
| 49 | 49 | "The Facility" | #DarnaMasterPlan | October 20, 2022 | 6.8%[58] |
| 50 | 50 | "Close Encounter" | #DarnaCloseCombat | October 21, 2022 | 7.1%[59] |
| 51 | 51 | "Face to Face" | #DarnaVsBorgo | October 24, 2022 | 6.5%[60] |
| 52 | 52 | "X-Triad" | #DarnaXTriad | October 25, 2022 | 7.5%[61] |
| 53 | 53 | "Face Off" | #DarnaVsValentina | October 26, 2022 | 7.0%[62] |
| 54 | 54 | "The Peculiar Pair" | #DarnaVersus | October 27, 2022 | TBD |
| 55 | 55 | "The Search" | #DarnaTrackDown | October 28, 2022 | 7.8%[63] |
| 56 | 56 | "Rescuing Robles" | #DarnaRescueMe | October 31, 2022 | 6.9%[64] |
| 57 | 57 | "Darna vs. Dark Brian" | #DarnaEndofDarkness | November 1, 2022 | 7.0%[65] |
| 58 | 58 | "Feelings and Priorities" | #DarnaKissAndTell | November 2, 2022 | 6.9%[66] |
| 59 | 59 | "Disarming the General" | #DarnaAlterEgo | November 3, 2022 | 6.7%[67] |
| 60 | 60 | "Levitator" | #DarnaNewExtra | November 4, 2022 | 8.1%[68] |
| 61 | 61 | "Exposed" | #DarnaLevitator | November 7, 2022 | 7.4%[69] |
| 62 | 62 | "The Chase" | #DarnaEvilForce | November 8, 2022 | 7.0%[70] |
| 63 | 63 | "Jeopardy" | #DarnaInvasion | November 9, 2022 | 8.1%[71] |
| 64 | 64 | "To Carry On" | #DarnaLethalWeapon | November 10, 2022 | TBD |
| 65 | 65 | "The Agryx" | #DarnaTKO | November 11, 2022 | TBD |
Season 2[]
| No.overall | No. in
season |
Title | Social Media hashtag | Original release date | AGB Nielsen Ratings (NUTAM People) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 66 | 1 | "A New Leaf" | #DarnaNewWarrior | November 14, 2022 | 8.0%[74][75] |
| 67 | 2 | "Luna" | #DarnaLuna | November 15, 2022 | 8.0%[76][77] |
| 68 | 3 | "The Hunt" | #DarnaTrackAndFear | November 16, 2022 | 8.1%[78][79] |
| 69 | 4 | "Gut-wrenching Gut Feeling" | #DarnaGutFeels | November 17, 2022 | 7.3%[80][81] |
| 70 | 5 | "Cat and Mouse" | #DarnaPredaTorn | November 18, 2022 | 8.3%[82][83] |
| 71 | 6 | "Green-eyed Monster" | #DarnaFighter | November 21, 2022 | 7.8%[84] |
| 72 | 7 | "Hiraya" | #DarnaPowerUp | November 22, 2022 | 7.5%[85] |
| 73 | 8 | "Happy Fiesta" | #DarnaHappyFiesta | November 23, 2022 | 7.5%[86] |
| 74 | 9 | "Armada" | #DarnaAllOut | November 24, 2022 | 7.3%[87] |
| 75 | 10 | "Shipwreck" | #DarnaShipwreck | November 25, 2022 | 7.9%[88] |
| 76 | 11 | "Fake Darna" | #DarnaVsDarna | November 28, 2022 | 7.2%[89] |
| 77 | 12 | "Goddess of Death" | #DarnaThePurge | November 29, 2022 | 7.6%[90] |
| 78 | 13 | "Friendship" | #DarnaMissedFriendship | November 30, 2022 | 7.7%[91] |
| 79 | 14 | "Declaration of War" | #DarnaSnakesOnWar | December 1, 2022 | 7.4%[92] |
| 80 | 15 | "Test Subjects" | #DarnaMadDoctor | December 2, 2022 | 7.5%[93] |
| 81 | 16 | "After Effects (recap episode)" | #DarnaAfterEffects | December 5, 2022 | - |
| 82 | 17 | "Round Up (recap episode)" | #DarnaRoundUp | December 6, 2022 | - |
| 83 | 18 | "The Sacrifice" | #DarnaSacrificialLove | December 7, 2022 | 7.0%[94] |
| 84 | 19 | "Flame On" | #DarnaNoOnesArc | December 8, 2022 | - |
| 85 | 20 | "Love and Duty" | #DarnaLoveBurst | December 9, 2022 | 7.0%[95] |
| 86 | 21 | "Ticking Time Bomb" | #DarnaTopSecret | December 12, 2022 | - |
| 87 | 22 | "Safe City" | #DarnaSafeInTheCity | December 13, 2022 | - |
| 88 | 23 | "A Charitable Cause" | #DarnaCharityBall | December 14, 2022 | 7.1%[96] |
| 89 | 24 | "Unmasked" | #DarnaVDay | December 15, 2022 | - |
| 90 | 25 | "Friend or Foe" | #DarnaFrenemy | December 16, 2022 | - |
| 91 | 26 | "Fallout" | #DarnaFallout | December 19, 2022 | - |
| 92 | 27 | "The Warning" | #DarnaThisIsWar | December 20, 2022 | - |
| 93 | 28 | "Death Threat" | #DarnaTrickOrThreat | December 21, 2022 | 7.0%[97] |
| 94 | 29 | "Hunter and Prey" | #DarnaPreyForUs | December 22, 2022 | - |
| 95 | 30 | "First Mission" | #DarnaMerryXtra | December 23, 2022 | - |
| 96 | 31 | "Arsenal" | #DarnaXtraSeason | December 26, 2022 | - |
| 97 | 32 | "Full Circle" | #DarnaFullCircle | December 27, 2022 | - |
| 98 | 33 | "The Ring" | #DarnaCityOfChaos | December 28, 2022 | - |
| 99 | 34 | "The Invicto" | #DarnaCrimeAfterCrime | December 29, 2022 | - |
| 100 | 35 | "Hopeful Holidays" | #DarnaXtraNewYear | December 30, 2022 | - |
| 101 | 36 | "Chasing Criminals" | #DarnaBraveHeart | January 2, 2023 | - |
| 102 | 37 | "The Fallen Empire" | #DarnaPartnersVsCrime | January 3, 2023 | 7.5%[98] |
| 103 | 38 | "Larger Than Life" | #DarnaPowerfulMatters | January 4, 2023 | - |
| 104 | 39 | "Pandemonium" | #DarnaDeletedCity | January 5, 2023 | 7.1%[99] |
| 105 | 40 | "Dark Forces" | #DarnaBorgoWithAnArmy | January 6, 2023 | 7.0%[100] |
| 106 | 41 | "Bloodshed" | #DarnaSuperSoldiers | January 9, 2023 | - |
| 107 | 42 | "Dancing Queen" | #DarnaDancingQueen | January 10, 2023 | - |
| 108 | 43 | "Greed and Rage" | #DarnaSuperPowers | January 11, 2023 | - |
| 109 | 44 | "Anarchy" | #DarnaThriller | January 12, 2023 | - |
| 110 | 45 | "Game of Tag" | #DarnaWeCantStop | January 13, 2023 | - |
| 111 | 46 | "Conquer" | #DarnaKnightFall | January 16, 2023 | - |
| 112 | 47 | "Purple Mas" | #DarnaCatchingFire | January 17, 2023 | 7.0%[101] |
| 113 | 48 | "Race Again" | #DarnaDontLookUp | January 18, 2023 | - |
| 114 | 49 | "Baggages" | #DarnaDobleTrouble | January 19, 2023 | - |
| 115 | 50 | "Entrapment" | #DarnaSkyFall | January 20, 2023 | 7.0%[102] |
| 116 | 51 | "Vengeance" | #DarnaMindGames | January 23, 2023 | - |
| 117 | 52 | "Defense" | #DarnaDefenseMode | January 24, 2023 | 7.1%[103] |
| 118 | 53 | "All for One" | #DarnaStandAsOne | January 25, 2023 | 7.1%[104] |
| 119 | 54 | "Retribution" | #DarnaStrongAsEver | January 26, 2023 | - |
| 120 | 55 | "Restoration" | #DarnaGoneGirl | January 27, 2023 | 7.8%[105] |
| 121 | 56 | "This is War" | #DarnaSuperExtra | January 30, 2023 | TBD |
| 122 | 57 | "Inside Job" | #DarnaSuperLeague | January 31, 2023 | TBD |
| 123 | 58 | "Retaliation" | #DarnaSuperRevenge | February 1, 2023 | TBD |
| 124 | 59 | "Reborn" | #DarnaSuperComeback | February 2, 2023 | TBD |
| 125 | 60 | "War Lord" | #DarnaSuperValentina | February 3, 2023 | TBD |
| 126 | 61 | "Venomous Comeback" | #DarnaSuperBloody | February 6, 2023 | TBD |
| 127 | 62 | "A World Without Darna" | #DarnaSuperNoHero | February 7, 2023 | TBD |
| 128 | 63 | "Rescue Mission" | #DarnaSuperSavior | February 8, 2023 | TBD |
| 129 | 64 | "Reclaiming the City" | #DarnaSuperEndGame | February 9, 2023 | TBD |
| 130 | 65 | TBA | #DarnaSuperFinale | February 10, 2023 | TBD |
*This program partially airs nationally on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (GMA and PTV among others).
- The series is also broadcast on Cine Mo! and TFC, and through a block-time agreement with TV5 and A2Z. It is also available on-demand via iWantTFC.
Production[]
Development[]
Erik Matti signed to direct a new Darna film in 2014, with Star Cinema and Matti's Reality Entertainment co-producing the project. Matti stated that the film is aimed "to revive not just the people who knows Darna but also with the people who will know Darna for the first time." Producing a unique storyline posed a challenge to the director, as he did not want to be accused of copying from other big superhero movies such as those produced by Marvel Studios. Matti envisioned the film, to be titled Darna, as a coming-of-age story that is serious in tone (similar to that of The Dark Knight Trilogy) but with gore aplenty. Angel Locsin, who played Darna in the 2005 TV series, agreed to reprise her role when approached by Matti. Locsin was forced out of the project following a back injury in October 2015, however, much to the consternation of Matti.
A teaser trailer for Darna was shown during the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival, whose visual effects were provided by Mothership VFX, the same company that worked on some of Matti's earlier films. According to Matti, the teaser was released ahead of the then-upcoming 2016 election as a ruse to make audiences think that Matti's next film was "politics-related" In addition, Matti uploaded a teaser photo in January 2016 of a hooded woman to Instagram. Around this time, the lead actress for the role of Darna had yet to be revealed.
Sources reported that Matti had begun principal photography on the film in March 2018, starting with the "simpler scenes". On October 4, 2018, however, ABS-CBN released a press statement announcing that Matti had parted ways with the network as well as Star Cinema "due to creative differences", and that the studio was closing in on a new director. On October 5, 2018, Jerrold Tarog came on board to replace Matti. In December 2018, Tarog revealed that he had begun working on a new script and costume for the film, the latter he said would be "more practical".
Tarog has said he would retain Matti's vision of making the film a coming-of-age story while also creating a more nuanced origin story that deviates from the previous Darna films and their source comic, which he felt "rushes Darna's origins". He also added that his version will eschew the "campy" portrayal of most Filipino superheroes in favor of telling a nuanced and introspective story where the actions of the superhero have consequences in the real world.
With the postponed production of the film, ABS-CBN announced on December 4, 2020 that it will develop a television series titled Mars Ravelo's Darna slated to air in 2022 and starring Jane de Leon. It's said that the film will push through once the series is finished.
Casting[]
While Darna was still in development as a film, several actresses had auditioned to replace Locsin when she backed out in 2015, including Liza Soberano, KC Concepcion, Jessy Mendiola, Nadine Lustre, Sarah Lahbati, and Sarah Geronimo. Soberano replaced Locsin by May 2017. In April 2019, however, ABS-CBN released a press statement announcing that Soberano had left the project due to a finger bone injury she acquired during production for the network's 2018 TV series Bagani, and that the studio had begun casting on a new actress. On July 17, 2019, Jane De Leon was unanimously chosen from a pool of over 300 actresses who auditioned.
On February 6, 2020, Leo Dominguez, Paulo Avelino's manager, confirmed that Avelino has been cast in the film. Tarog later confirmed Avelino's casting during a fundraiser
Even as the film was reconceived as a television series, De Leon was kept on board to portray the titular character for the series. On August 12, 2021, Iza Calzado was cast to portray the first Darna and Narda's mother. On October 5, 2021, Kiko Estrada, Richard Quan, Simon Ibarra, Levi Ignacio, Joj Agpangan, Mark Manicad, Young JV, LA Santos, Yogo Singh, Zeppi Borromeo, Marvin Yap, Tart Carlos, and Gerald Acao were announced as cast additions including Joshua Garcia as the male lead and Zaijian Jaranilla as Ding.[7] On November 19, 2021, Janella Salvador was formally introduced as the one who will play the titular heroine's nemesis, Valentina. On February 17, 2022, behind the scenes photos revealed Paolo Gumabao has joined the cast of Darna. On March 1, 2022, Gumabao was confirmed to have taken over Kiko Estrada's role as Noah Ballesteros.[8] On March 3, 2022, Dawn Chang was cast in an undisclosed role.[9] Christian Bables is the latest addition to the series.
Filming[]
Principal photography for the film began on January 19, 2020. shot at ABS-CBN Soundstage in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. However, on August 21, 2020, ABS-CBN officially postponed production on the film due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a week after the network announced that it had "scrapped" the project "because of the film's big budget (₱140 million) and the coronavirus pandemic.
On December 4, 2020, during the contract signing of Star Magic artists, it was announced that the Darna film project will become a TV series in 2021. On December 21, 2020, during the teaser for Darna in the "Together as One in 2021" video, De Leon said that filming will start in January 2021, but due to De Leon guesting on the series FPJ's Ang Probinsyano, filming for the series was postponed. On February 5, 2021, during a press conference, De Leon stated that the new Darna project will be very modern and her Darna character will be very "millennial".
On July 28, 2021, ABS-CBN announced that the series will start filming in early September 2021 but the schedule was changed to November to give more training time for De Leon, meanwhile De Leon is filming her remaining episodes on her guest role in Ang Probinsyano. On October 4, 2021, ABS-CBN announced that Chito S. Roño will direct the series. Avel Sunpongco will act as co-director and Keiko Aquino as head writer. Roño envisions the series to be less soapy and more gritty and real. Principal photography for the series officially commenced on November 15, 2021, at the ABS-CBN Soundstage.
Marketing[]
On December 21, 2020, a teaser was shown in the "Together as One in 2021" video On December 19, 2021, a 45-second teaser was shown on the ABS-CBN Christmas Special 2021 together with their other upcoming projects for 2022.[57][58] On May 16, 2022, a new 45-second teaser which has the same clips plus additional scenes that were not in the last teaser was released on social media. On July 7, 2022, the official trailer has been released.
On June 13, 2022, a tease image went viral after ABS-CBN’s social media pages temporarily changed their profile and cover photos to a different logo which resembles Darna’s headdress which indicates that it’s nearing its premiere. The tease image asks "Nasaan si Darna?" ("Where is Darna?") which made it viral. It gathered a lot of reaction as well as people commenting their excitement for the show, some having witty responses, while others doing photos with their Darna costumes.
On June 16, 2022, a Darna mural was unveiled to showcase empowerment, heroism, and hope dedicated to the frontliners and everyday heroes. The mural also represents a hero on every person bringing hope and positivity to uncertainties and realities.
On July 6, 2022, an official teaser poster was released, hinting some hidden Easter eggs for the series.
On July 10, 2022, Jane de Leon, Joshua Garcia and Zaijian Jaranilla visited the ToyCon PH 2022 event at SM Megamall.
On July 28, 2022, the Darna character made rooftop appearances in several Robinsons Malls in Metro Manila and in ABS-CBN's ELJ Communications Center.
On August 13, 2022, majority of the cast members went to Taguig City to promote the series.
Soundtrack[]
Main article: Patuloy Lang Ang Lipad
On July 28, 2022, BGYO were announced to sing the original soundtrack of the series, entitled "Patuloy Lang Ang Lipad". It was officially released on August 14, 2022.
On September 6 2022, producer Julie Anne R. Benitez confirmed that there are three more songs to be released for the soundtrack.
Darna's powers and abilities[]
Everytime Narda Custodio swallows the mythical stone, she transforms into the mighty warrior Darna, which possesses supernatural abilities including enhanced strength & speed, flight, swiftly dodge bullets and immunity to man-made weapons.
- Enhanced Strength: Darna is capable of lifting massive debris with one hand, throw enemies several miles away and crush man-made weapons like gun in seconds.
- Enhanced Reflexes: Darna can swiftly dodge and maneuver around complex attacks. She was able to used this skill to dodge attacks from Master Klaudio/Hergis during their first encounter.
- Enhanced Speed: Darna also has a wide range of speed levels. She can move from one place to another in a matter of seconds. This is one of her most used ability which she utilized to either chase or attack her opponents.
- Invulnerability: Darna is immune to all forms of physical attacks and has a high level of survivability. She can sustain grenade explosions and bullet attacks.
- Skilled Combatant: Trained by the Prime warrior from Planet Marte, Darna has shown mastery in hand-to-hand battle combat used for both offense and defense.
- Flight: Darna is also blessed with the ability to flight at great heights.
Ratings[]
Despite limited reach on free TV, Kantar Media Philippines reported that the pilot episode of the series ruled its timeslot, attaining a reported 19.4% in Mega Manila and 23% in Metro Manila. The series also rated 21.9% in Total Visayas and 22.2% in Rural Visayas.[108][109]
AGB Neilsen Philippines also reported that the series received its highest rating of 11.1% on August 19, 2022, placing it in the 4th spot of the rating board.[110]
International[]
Mars Ravelo's Darna of ABS-CBN Entertainment was featured at Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) in Singapore for the 2nd annual TV Asia Screenings Festival, alongside other hit series starred by Kathryn Bernardo & Daniel Padilla, Piolo Pascual & Lovi Poe and more.[85][86]
Following the success of the series, Mars Ravelo's Darna was also aired on ANTV channel in Indonesia in January 10, 2023.[87][88] Kiki Zulkarnain, chief program and communications officer for ANTV, noted how Darna's narrative serves as the ideal role model for younger Indonesian audiences, adding: "Darna certainly makes our programming more diverse, and we hope it will not only entertain but instill values in the youth through her acts of kindness and bravery."[89][90]
Release[]
The series is also available on-demand via iWantTFC and streaming online on YouTube with English subtitles.
Reception[]
Darna was a commercial success across all leading digital platforms. The pilot week has accumulated more than 41 million combined views on YouTube. The series has consistently averaged around 230,000 live concurrent views per episode (compared to its rival Lolong with 14,000). Additionally, the series also became the most watched show on iWantTFC after debuting at the top five in its premiere on August 15, 2022. Darna also rosed as the most searched show on Google, taking around 80% of all web searches in its first week, maintaining a huge lead against the four other local primetime dramas.
Pre-debut[]
The official trailer for Darna has garnered over 4 million views in less than 24 hours across all leading social media platforms, gaining one million views on Facebook in just 4 hours. Meanwhile, the official hashtag #DarnaTrailer immediately shot to the top of Twitter Philippines' trending list and remained there the next day.
Pilot week[]
The comeback of the beloved comic superhero was well-received by the public. Upon its first airing in both television and digital platforms, the official tag #Darna immediately became a No. 1 trending topic on Twitter in the Philippines and worldwide. On YouTube, the series also drawed a stunning 296,334 concurrent live viewers throughout the entire run of the first episode.
The second episode of the series managed to maintain consistent numbers, with over 250,000 concurrent live viewers at peak on YouTube and dominated the trending list of Twitter Philippines, with the tag #FirstDarna occupying the second spot.[90] The series kept its momentum in the following days for each episode up until Narda's transformation as the iconic pinoy comic superheroine Darna, where it became the No. 1 trending topic nationwide and second across the world on Twitter.[91]
Darna transformation[]
| External image | |
|---|---|
| The Official Poster for Mars Ravelo's Darna Jane de Leon stuns in her Darna costume |
The much-anticipated transformation of Narda as the mighty warrior Darna was highly praised by both critics and audiences. The official tag of Episode 5 (#LipadDarna) immediately shot to the top spot of Twitter nationwide and second worldwide with more than 60,000 tweets within its first 14 hours.
The “Valentina” transformation[]
| External video | |
|---|---|
| Regina transforming as the serpent queen, Valentina. | |
| Regina transforms into Valentina | |
| Ali fears Valentina |
Following Janella Salvador's transformation as Darna's archnemesis "Valentina", the official tag of Episode 14 (#DarnaValentina) immediately shot to the top spot of Twitter Philippines with more than 16,000+ tweets. It was met with praises from both critics and fans. Prior to the much awaited transformation, Salvador had several guest appearances on several TV channels, including TV5, PIE Channel, CNN Philippines, It's Showtime and on TV Patrol’s Star Patrol segment. On YouTube, the episode peaked at 210,000+ live concurrent viewers, besting its rival show by a landslide.
Critical response[]
Ryan Oquiza of Rappler gave a positive review for the premiere of the series calling it "a gritty, modern retelling" that has potential to even soar higher. Furthermore, he also stated that the Darna series also presents an intriguing story of maturation that rewards injustice and penalizes heroism. Oquiza also praised the performances of Iza Calzado, Janella Salvador and Jane De Leon. He described Calzado as the one who stole the show stating that her portrayal as the "First Darna" possesses the gravitas of Angel Locsin and the bravado of Anjanette Abayari.
Mike Diez from The Philippine Star also praised the series and gave compliments to the pacing of the story, how its origin was introduced and the performances of Joshua Garcia, Iza Calzado & Jane de Leon. He emphasized Garcia as the standout and the heart of the series, as well as emphasizing that Calzado gives the character weight and “exudes an aura of authority.”
The Ravelo family said that ABS-CBN is the best platform for Darna, emphasizing the quality of their works and of all the options that they had, the network remains to be the best choice for the comic superheroine and the rights to 13 other comic characters created by Mars Ravelo.
The series also made rounds outside the country. A recent review by a viewer from Indonesia praised the show, emphasizing the acting prowess of the casts, its quality and said that he liked this version better (including Darna's warrior costume) than the last two TV adaptations from the rival network.
Experts review[]
The Biodiversity Conservation Society of the Philippines applauded ABS-CBN's take on the snake-haired supervillainess, Valentina. It has said to have showcased different kinds of “snake morphospecies”, in which two of Valentina's snakes resembles the Philippine Pit Viper and the Samar Cobra. Further adding: “While we don’t entirely approve of the common association between snakes and villainy in stories, this new Valentina’s snake-do nicely mirrors the rich diversity of snakes (about 140 species) that we have in the country.”
Ratings[]
According to Kantar Media Philippines, the pilot episode of Mars Ravelo's Darna ruled its timeslot, attaining a reported 19.4% in Mega Manila and 23% in Metro Manila. The series also rated 21.9% in Total Visayas and 22.2% in Rural Visayas.[107][108]
On the other hand, AGB Neilsen Philippines reported that the series received a rating of 10.5% during its premiere in August 15, placing it in the 5th spot of the rating board.[109]
Accolades[]
| Year | Awards ceremony | Title | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Inding-Indie Excellence Awards | Huwarang Artista ng mga Kabataan |
Jane de Leon |
Won | [111][112] |
| Asia's Pinnacle Awards | Most Outstanding Female Actress of the Year | [113] | |||
| Gawad Dangal Filipino Awards | Outstanding Fantaserye Queen of the Year | [114] | |||
| Best Actor in a Teleserye | Joshua Garcia | ||||
| 6th Outstanding Men and Women of the Philippines | Special Award | Jane de Leon | [115][116] | ||
| Asia's World Class Filipino Awards | Best Actress and Primetime Queen of the Year | [117] | |||
| Gawad Pilipino 2022 Icon Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Actor | Joshua Garcia | [118] | ||
| Aliw Awards | Best Male Pop Artist | LA Santos | [119] | ||
| 5th Gawad Lasallianeta Awards | Most Outstanding Teleserye | Mars Ravelo's Darna | Nominated | [120][121][122] | |
| Most Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series | Jane de Leon | ||||
| Most Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series | Joshua Garcia | ||||
| 3rd Annual Tag Awards Chicago | Best Actress | Jane de Leon | [123] | ||
| Best Supporting Actress | Janella Salvador | Won | [124] | ||
| Best Actor | Joshua Garcia | Nominated | [125] | ||
| Rawr Awards 2022 | Favorite Bida | Jane de Leon | [126] | ||
| Favorite Kontrabida | Janella Salvador | Won | |||
| Loveteam of the Year | JaneShua | Nominated | |||
| Beshie ng Taon | LA Santos | Nominated | |||
| 2023 | 7th GEMS Awards 2023 | Best Performance by an actress in a Supporting Role | Janella Salvador | Nominated | [127] |
| 4th VP Choice Awards | TV Series of the Year | Mars Ravelo's Darna | Pending | [128] | |
| Promising Female Star of the Year | Jane de Leon | ||||
| TV Supporting Actress of the Year | Janella Salvador | ||||
| TV Supporting Actor of the Year | Zaijan Jaranilla | ||||
| TV Actor of the Year | Joshua Garcia | ||||
| 13th TV Series Craze Awards | Best Fantasy Series | Mars Ravelo's Darna | Won | [129] | |
| Most Promising Actress of the Year | Jane de Leon | ||||
| Kontrabida of the Year | Janella Salvador | ||||
| Most Popular Celebrity TikToker | Joshua Garcia |
See also[]
- List of programs broadcast by Kapamilya Channel
- List of programs broadcast by A2Z (Philippine TV channel)
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- ^ The series is also broadcast on Cine Mo! and TFC, and through a block-time agreement with TV5 and A2Z. It is also available on-demand via iWantTFC.