On Friday, August 21, ABS-CBN released a statement regarding the status of the much-awaited Darna movie project starring Jane De Leon because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
They began the statement by saying their rights to the film about the iconic pop culture heroine remains with the Kapamilya network.
"The rights to 'Darna' remain with ABS-CBN as it decides to postpone the film production indefinitely after careful deliberation on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on movie production and cinemas," their statement read.
ABS-CBN pressed their commitment to following guidelines of movie production under the new normal. However, since the movie requires "complex logistics, crowd shots, and fight scenes that involve physical contact", they find the situation difficult in giving justice to the film.
"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.
The statement concluded by thanking everyone involved with film production.
"We are also grateful to the Ravelo family, to the Darna fans, and the public for their unrelenting support and understanding," they said.
Jane De Leon, the latest actress to be picked to portray the Filipino superheroine, took to Instagram the same day to say how she is "deeply saddened" by the decision, but understands that it is always safety first.
"However, safety comes first as always," she clarified. "Thank you so much for the support & understanding. Let's pray for everyone's safety. God Bless!"
Jane was announced as the newest Darna last July 2019, replacing Liza Soberano who had to step down from the role because of finger injury.
She joined an elite list of actresses who have portrayed the super heroine, including Vilma Santos-Recto, Lorna Tolentino, Gina Pareño, Marian Rivera, and, most popularly, Angel Locsin.
