NOW it can be revealed: Enrique Gil was originally part of the highly anticipated superhero movie “Darna,” which stars onscreen partner Liza Soberano as the titular komiks icon.
Gil, 26, made the candid admission during a recent press conference for the finale of the fantaserye “Bagani,” where he played the heroic Lakas.
“Dapat kasama talaga ako doon sa ‘Darna,’ ” Gil said, when a reporter asked Soberano, who was seated beside him, if she would want the actor to be paired with her anew in the Erik Matti film.
“Nag-meeting na kami, nag-story con. Dapat kasama talaga ako. Maganda ’yung character, interesting. A couple of weeks after, they called me back. Sabi nila, ‘Huwag na. Huwag na natin ituloy. Ika-cancel.’ ”
Gil did not specify who had informed him of his role being aborted. “Darna” is being produced by ABS-CBN Films’ Star Cinema and Reality Entertainment.
He went on to relay the explanation given to him: “They’re offering another project na mas maganda naman talaga. Basta, abangan niyo na lang.”
Asked whether he was pertaining to Captain Barbell, another komiks hero who with Darna and Lastikman form the Mars Ravelo triumvirate of pop culture icons, Gil gave a ready answer.
“Hindi ko pa po alam,” he said.
First announced in 2014, Star Cinema’s “Darna” has had a storied development phase. It was originally set to star Angel Locsin, who had to pull out from the project after she sustained a spine injury. Soberano was introduced as new superhero in May 2017.
This month, Matti confirmed that the cast of “Darna” is complete, including those portraying the snake-haired villain Valentina, and Narda’s brother Ding. He said, however, that the stars joining Soberano would be announced at a later date. (ABS-CBN News)
