Is Darna shelved?

This piece of news will make fans of Liza Soberano

(photo) very, very sad. According to a Funfare source, Darna has been shelved. Nabantilawan, the source said, referring to the “overkill” stories about the movie that could have launched Liza as the super heroine played by Rosa del Rosario, Liza Moreno, Vilma Santos, Angel Locsin, Marian Rivera, et al.

After all the remakes and the reinventions, maybe it’s time to let the legendary

komiks heroine rest in heavenly peace, isn’t it? Liza trained hard for

Darna, to have been directed by Erik Matti, but her training didn’t go to waste because she can use it in her role as Ganda in Bagani, the new ABS-CBN fantaserye with Enrique Gil as Lakas.

Meanwhile, here’s the ABS-CBN official statement in reaction to some complaints that Bagani is not “historically accurate”:

The concept of ABS-CBN’s new fantaserye is to feature warriors, protectors and heroes who espouse Filipino values and beliefs.

The production team did intensive research to determine a distinctly Filipino term that embodies a champion who fights for the common good of his tribe or family — somebody who is brave, honorable, self-sacrificing, and good-hearted. In the end, the team recognized that the term and concept of a Bagani best solidifies the traits that the program wants to highlight.

With all due respect, the use of Bagani is not in any way intended to malign or to disrespect beliefs of the Indigenous Peoples’ communities, but instead hopes to propagate the values, morals and ethics that are inherent in a

Bagani — a Filipino warrior, protector and hero.

To be clear, the fantaserye does not purport itself to be a historical account of Philippine history or culture. The program has always maintained that it has created an alternative fictional universe with elements of Filipino mythology and folklore that simply serves as an avenue to creatively deliver and highlight Filipino values, beliefs and heroism.