Veteran director Chito Roño’s childhood dream was to make  Darna  , so when he was offered to direct the Kapamilya primetime series  Mars Ravelo’s Darna  , he didn’t hesitate to accept it.

At the grand presscon of  Darna  at the Dolphy Theater on August 8, 2022, Director Chito shared that the iconic Pinay superhero was a big part of his youth.

“I was really a fan of  Darna  even when it was a comic. We all read comics.

“Before Vilma [Santos] filmed the movie, I read it in the comics.

“My grandmother and I always read comics side by side.

“Anyway, aside from Darna, I read other Ravelo’s plays, yung komiks niya, that’s why when it was offered to me, I got excited like a kid again.

“I said, ‘Alright, I’ll do it.’ So, I dared myself to do it, as it were, my dream was to do  Darna when I was young . ”

Director Chito believes that ABS-CBN saw the beauty of the material so even though the re-television of  Darna went through many trials , the network did not give up on it.

“Gusto ko lang sabihin, it took ABS a long time to produce this project series, but because I think they cannot let go, because this is one of the most exciting materials they have.

“I don’t blame them for bearing time and difficulties, but I assure you that you willl be enjoying Darna the series,” pahayag ng direktor.

DIRECTING NEW STARS

Director Chito is known as strict, straightforward, and often scolds the actors on the set when they make mistakes.

According to the director, he guided the new cast of  Darna , particularly Jane de Leon, Janella Salvador, and Joshua Garcia, but he was impressed by their skill and professionalism.

“I didn’t know them at first, huh. Like a novice actor, it’s like you guide them intently so they don’t make big mistakes, and then you let them fit into the roles that they are playing and the characters they are portraying.

“There’s a bit of that factor with them, even with Jane and Janella, because it’s my first time to work with them, we have to design the character for Darna and Valentina, even Ding and Joshua.

“Everybody had to go through the.process of learning how to deal with their characters.

“Very cooperative, wala naman kaming problema. Everybody is… except for Joshua whom I worked in Regal before, everybody was first time sa akin.”

Chito directed Joshua in the horror film  Ang Mga Kaibigan Ni Mama Susan,  which has yet to be released in theaters.

Director Chito also praised Jane’s perceived passion and openness to do everything for her character as Narda/Darna.

“Jane worked hard for this for her role in this series,” pakli niya.

“The problem with Jane, she had to balance being Narda and being Darna. It’s really hard.