"Darna" director Erik Matti admitted that he was overwhelmed with the fans' reaction when the trailer was released. In the recent Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), Star Cinema released the first teaser for the film before their entries, "Beauty and the Bestie" and "All You Need is Pag-Ibig." The trailer, however, did not show who will replace Angel Locsin as the iconic Filipino superhero.
In an interview with PEP, Matti shared that they wanted people to see a different side of Darna. The director added that they wanted the film to be interesting for both the young and more mature audience.
In October, via a press release, Locsin revealed that she had to pull out of "Darna" due to health concerns. While training rigorously for the role for almost two years, the actress has developed a disc bulge in her spine which would limit her from doing strenuous activities such as stunts and liftings.
Matti thought that "Darna" would be shelved following what happened to Locsin. In the end, they decided to push through with the project since they don't want to frustrate the audience. He added that the trailer was produced to assure audience that the highly anticipated film is happening this 2016.
When asked who he thought would be the best star to wear the two-piece, star studded bikini Matti said that he would rather let Star Cinema decide. He pointed out that since the beginning, they have always envisioned that Locsin will be playing the role.
Matti shared that fans would often flood his Instagram with suggestions for who could replace Locsin, such as Nadine Lustre, Julia Montes, Maja Salvador, Liza Soberano, Jessy Mendiola and Sarah Lahbati.
Although the trailer has been revealed, Matti admitted that they have yet to reach a final decision on who will be the next Darna. He pointed out that they are still in the middle of finalizing the script.
"I leave that up to ABS-CBN, this is a franchise that is very big and a big investment is gonna go into it. I want ABS-CBN, Star Cinema, sina Tita Malou [Santos], si Direk Olive [Lamasan], si Ma??am Charo [Santos Concio], I want them to be the one who make the decision," he added.
