Director Jerrold Tarog. INQUIRER file photo
MANILA, Philippines — Jerrold Tarog, the director of the anticipated movie Darna, bared Thursday that ABS-CBN executives wanted a “new face” to portray the iconic Filipina superhero.
“Glad it’s finally out. The execs wanted a new face for Darna & I was all for it,” Tarog wrote in a Twitter post.
Glad it's finally out. The execs wanted a new face for Darna & I was all for it. Thus, open auditions—newbies, celebs, chinita, mestiza, morena, etc basta 🇵🇭. The short list was a good mix but ultimately it was about who could carry the role. @Imjanedeleon was a unanimous choice. pic.twitter.com/6JY8sKcpgT
— Jerrold Tarog (@JerroldTarog) July 18, 2019
On Wednesday, actress Jane de Leon was announced as the new Darna by ABS-CBN’s film production arm Star Cinema.
READ: Jane de Leon named as new Darna
Tarog said they opened the auditions for the role to everyone — from newbies to celebrities, from mestiza, chinita to morena.
“Thus, open auditions—newbies, celebs, chinita, mestiza, morena, etc basta. The short list was a good mix but ultimately it was about who could carry the role,” he said.
“@Imjanedeleon was a unanimous choice,” he added.
Star Cinema announced last May it would hold public auditions for the role after Liza Soberano withdrew from the project.
READ: Star Cinema opens auditions for the next ‘Darna’
Soberano exited from the movie because of a finger injury she sustained during the shoot of her drama series “Bagani.”
READ: Liza Soberano withdraws from ‘Darna’
Meanwhile, Tarog was tapped as the project’s new director after Erik Matti stepped down citing “creative differences” with Star Cinema. /jpv
READ: Jerrold Tarog is new director of ‘Darna’