ABS-CBN announced in October 2018 that Matti withdrew as director for the "Darna" film because of creative differences. A day after the announcement, it was revealed that Jerrold Tarog replaced Matti as the new director for the "Darna" film. With the departure of Soberano, Jane De Leon was unanimously picked as Darna among the 300 actresses who auditioned for the role. On the other hand, the coveted Valentina role has yet to be disclosed and several actresses expressed their desire to fulfill the role, most notably Denise Laurel. In addition to the other actresses who were rumored to be Valentina, it was speculated that the following actresses would be Valentina: Sarah Lahbati, Dimples Romana and Maricar Reyes.