Jane De Leon proves naysayers wrong with two new films post-Darna

If it wasn’t enough that close to 100 press members attended the grand media conference to show their support for the Philippine cinema’s longest-running horror franchise, Shake Rattle and Roll (SRR) Extreme, I don’t know what is.

With Regal Films’ comeback not making it to the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), it got an earlier playdate which is Nov. 29. Not hiding her disappointment, Regal’s head Roselle Monteverde has chosen to move forward with confidence in SRR’s legacy in the entertainment industry.

“May part na disappointed ako, but you need to move on. Dito natin unang na visualize iyong ilang Filipino mythology and creatures such as the aswang and tyanak. Now, I really make sure that this is for the cinemas whether or not it will be shown at the Metro Manila Film Festival,” she said.

Jane with this columnist.

One of the stars, Iza Calzado, also had this to say, “It would have been nice if it was part of the MMFF because comeback siya ng Shake, Rattle & Roll. Iyong cultural impact kasi ng Shake in terms of pop culture, hindi mo maitatanggi. Whatever the playdate, it will continue to draw in viewers.”

Besides Iza, her co-Darna star Jane De Leon is also one of the film’s leads. She was so beautiful in a pink ensemble and silver hair accessory when she graced the event, dispelling naysayers on social media that there is no big project for her after her Darna stint.

Recently, Jane also attended the red carpet premiere of Five Breakups and A Romance, where there was a TikTok video of her that went viral for insinuating that she walked straight to the cinema without fan clamor and interaction.

The actress is also part of another Regal film titled How To Be A Good Wife, to be directed by Jun Robles Lana. It will be the comeback of Jane’s tandem with Darna co-star Janella Salvador.

Jane admitted that the video reached her and shared her reaction:“Nakita ko iyon, eh iyong kumakalat. Hindi iyon ang full video. Hindi nila alam pumunta ako sa mga fans, nakihalubilo pa ako sa mga fans. Ang masasabi ko lang do not believe social media.”

Jane is a self-proclaimed introvert, as her friends and workmates know. This is why, at times, she is being misconstrued as snobbish but in reality, she explained, she is just in her own little bubble minding her own thing.

“Hindi ko kailangan mag-adjust because this is me. Knowing myself, marami naman nakaka-alam na introvert ako. Hindi sa ni-reason out ko na introvert ako, but I love my fans so much and they know that that is why I appreciate how they protect me at kung paano nila ako mahalin,” she said.

Putting that rumor about Jane to rest, there’s another Regal film in which she is part of. That is How To Be A Good Wife by Jun Robles Lana. It will be the comeback of Jane’s tandem with Darna co-star Janella Salvador. There’s a teaser of the story conference on social media that quickly escalated into a trending topic on X (formerly Twitter), thanks to the JaneNella fans.

“Nagulat nga kami, tapos sabi sa akin nung manager ko, trending na kayo. Sabi ko, ‘Wow,’” Jane said and added, “Tricky iyong title, noh? Puro ito twist ng twist at more twist pa! Hahaha!”

So, how did the project come about? Well, it was as random as it could get, according to Jane, “Super biglaan, because of the ABS-CBN ball, Tita Roselle (Monteverde) saw us, tapos sabi niya, ‘Gawa tayo (ng) movie!’… Why not, diba? Nakakatuwa lang nag-post din si direk Jun Lana, sumabog agad sa Twitter.”

But before that, watch Shake, Rattle and Roll Extreme, which will be shown in cinemas on Nov. 29.