Darna is a Philippine television drama action fantasy series broadcast by GMA Network. The series is based from Mars Ravelo's fictional Philippine superheroine of the same title. Directed by Dominic Zapata and Don Michael Perez, it stars Marian Rivera in the title role. It premiered on August 10, 2009 on the network's Telebabad line up replacing Zorro. The series concluded on February 19, 2010 with a total of 140 episodes. It was replaced by Panday Kids in its timeslot.
| Darna | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Genre | |
| Based on | Darna by Mars Ravelo and Nestor Redondo |
| Developed by | Jun Lana |
| Written by |
|
| Directed by | |
| Creative director | Jun Lana |
| Starring | Marian Rivera |
| Theme music composer | Jay Contreras |
| Opening theme | "Narda" by Kamikazee |
| Country of origin | Philippines |
| Original language | Tagalog |
| No. of episodes | 140 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Edlyn Tallada-Abuel |
| Production locations | Manila, Philippines |
| Cinematography |
|
| Camera setup | Multiple-camera setup |
| Running time | 30–45 minutes |
| Production company | GMA Entertainment TV |
| Original release | |
| Network | GMA Network |
| Release | August 10, 2009 – February 19, 2010 |
| Related | |
Cast and characters
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- Lead cast
- Marian Rivera as Narda / Darna / Evil Darna / Ex-O / Phoenix[1]
- Supporting cast
- Mark Anthony Fernandez as Eduardo / Black Rider
- Dennis Trillo as Pancho
- Iwa Moto as Valentina
- Nadine Samonte as Roma / Babaeng Impakta[2]
- Ehra Madrigal as Armida / Babaeng Lawin[3]
- Francine Prieto as Lucifera / Babaeng Tuod[4]
- Maggie Wilson as Octavia Moran / Lutgarda Morales / Babaeng Linta[5]
- Rochelle Pangilinan as Deborah Santos
- Jackie Rice as Helena / Helga
- Roxanne Barcelo as Aleli
- Buboy Villar as Carding "Ding" Santos
- Rufa Mae Quinto as Francesca
- Raymart Santiago as Crisanto
- Alfred Vargas as Gabriel
- Krista Kleiner as Liberty
- Polo Ravales as Shiro
- Guest cast
- Akihiro Sato as Vladimir
- Maureen Larrazabal as Dina Arcilla
- Katrina Halili as Serpina / Valentina
- Paolo Contis as Kobra
- Regine Velasquez as Elektra
- Angel Aquino as Darna[6]
- Caridad Sanchez as Loleng
- Celia Rodriguez as Perfecta
- Mike "Pekto" Nacua as Jerry
- John Feir as Tomas
- Eddie Garcia as Mateo[7]
- Ricky Davao as Morgan
- Gabby Eigenmann as Apollo
- Bearwin Meily as Watson
- Renz Valerio as younger Eduardo
- Jestoni Alarcon as Simon
- Rita Avila as Alicia
- Angeli Nicole Sanoy as younger Narda
- John Apacible as Nestor
- Janice de Belen as Consuelo
- Sweet Ramos as younger Valentina
- Allan "Mura" Padua as Impy
- Sabrina Man as younger Serpina
- Hayden Kho as Danny
- Ella Guevara as Narda
Production
editPrincipal photography commenced in June 2009.[8]
Reception
editRatings
editAccording to AGB Nielsen Philippines' Mega Manila household television ratings, the pilot episode of Darna earned a 44.1% rating.[9] While the final episode scored a 32.9% rating.[10]
Critical response
editDarna opened with positive reviews, writer Nestor Torre of Philippine Daily Inquirer said the pilot episode is "loud and livid". Torre continues to mention "...two performances stand out because they’re 'different'. The first is Janice de Belen’s portrayal of Consuelo, the mother of Valentina. De Belen’s characterization is outstanding, because it’s deeply felt, while not being over-the-top..." and "the other interesting performance thus far is turned in by Iwa Moto as Valentina. With some help from creative scripting, her character is more tragic and conflicted than past versions of the story had it".[11]
Jun Lana's script was complimented by Torre for creating "Valentina's secret initially pains her rather than turns her into a vengeful monster, and the ostracism she suffers adds enormously to her loneliness and grief, which are alleviated only by her only friend, Narda. Of course, the ironic twist to all this is that Narda will eventually morph into superheroine Darna, with whom Valentina must fight to the death." Lana told Manila Bulletin that this version of Darna will be "totally different" especially with the characters, he mentions "what if Narda doesn't want to become Darna?" - a subject never touched upon in other versions of the graphic novel.[12]
References
edit- ^ Calderon, Nora (July 10, 2009). "Marian Rivera excited over first taping day of Darna". PEP. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
- ^ Fuqua, Adam (January 7, 2013). "Babaeng Impakta". Write Ups. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ Fuqua, Adam (May 1, 2013). "Babaeng Lawin". Write Ups. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ Fuqua, Adam (May 18, 2014). "Babaeng Tuod". Write Ups. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ Fuqua, Adam (May 25, 2014). "Babeng Linta". Write Ups. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
- ^ "Picture of Angel Aquino as "Original Darna" on the Darna Blog". Blogspot. Archived from the original on December 18, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ Anarcon, James Patrick (June 21, 2019). "Eddie Garcia: Award-winning movies & TV shows over 7 decades". PEP. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
- ^ Calderon, Nora (May 30, 2009). "Marian Rivera is training in martial arts for Darna role". GMA Network. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ Santiago, Erwin (August 11, 2009). "AGB Mega Manila TV Ratings (Aug. 7-10): Darna flies high on its pilot episode". PEP. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ Santiago, Erwin (February 23, 2010). "AGB Mega Manila TV Ratings (Feb. 19-22): Panday Kids and Pilipinas Got Talent make strong impact on their debut". PEP. Retrieved September 2, 2024.
- ^ "Loud, livid welcome for Darna's return". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on August 17, 2012.
- ^ "Psychic predicts more success coming Marian Rivera's way". Manila Bulletin.