MANILA -- Social media went ablaze when 20-year old actress Jane De Leon was announced Wednesday as the new actress to portray the iconic role of Darna.

This comes after Liza Soberano backed due to her finger injury.

De Leon auditioned and bagged the role among almost 300 auditionees, including her peers in Star Magic, Starhunt, talent scouts and agencies.

She even revealed in a separate interview that she was auditioning to be the villain of Darna. But director Jerrold Tarog convinced her to try out for the title role.

Speaking as a producer, ABS-CBN Films consultant Malou Santos expressed her excitement with De Leon taking on the title role.

“I am happy and proud of that. Finally, we have chosen our Darna. I think she is the perfect fit for the kind of Darna we want to reintroduce to this generation,” she said.

This upcoming movie is a genesis and a coming of age story for the Pinay superhero. So the goal was to choose someone young with an air of innocence and strength of character.

Acting potential aside, Santos was more impressed with De Leon's personality.

“When we got to talk to her and interview her, I saw that some of her values reflect those of Darna also. Aside from her looks and acting potential, her passion and enthusiasm was very high when the possibility of her playing the role opened up for her. Now that she is doing it, I will always remember that moment when she committed her entire being to the character and project. She embraced it 100 percent,” shared Santos.