MANILA – Cameras have started to roll for “Mars Ravelo’s Darna: The TV Series” under the direction of veteran filmmaker Chito Rono.

Photos from the series’ first taping day were shared on Twitter by the JRB Creative Production, the ABS-CBN entertainment unit which will produce the project.

Jane De Leon, admittedly a relative “unknown” compared to her Darna predecessors, was cast in the coveted role in July 2019, after an open audition that drew 300 aspirants, including established actresses and fresh aspirants.

#DarnaTheTVSeries first taping day 🎬🎥 pic.twitter.com/V5ug7RprIj

— JRB Creative Production (@JRBcreativeprod) November 15, 2021

pic.twitter.com/sieck7Dw5Y

— JRB Creative Production (@JRBcreativeprod) November 15, 2021

“Mars Ravelo’s Darna: The TV Series” is the latest development in ABS-CBN’s long anticipated version of Darna, an enduring pop culture icon who has been played by some 15 actresses since her big-screen debut in 1951.

ABS-CBN obtained the rights to Darna in 2013, when it signed a partnership with the Ravelo estate that included 12 more titles or characters created by the komiks master.

Joining de Leon in the main cast are Iza Calzado as the original Darna and Narda’s mother Leonor Custodio, Zaijan Jaranilla as Darna’s sidekick Ding, and Joshua Garcia as a new character, a police officer named Brian.