Luna Blanca

Did You Know?

• The pilot episode earned a 26.3% rating according to AGB Nielsen Philippines' Mega Manila household television ratings.
• The final episode scored a 24% rating.
• Alfredo B. Severino of Negros Daily Bulletin described the show as epic literature.

Development

Associate producer Jonathan Pachica stated that Luna Blanca is a sequel to GMA Network's 2008 drama series Luna Mystika, which also starred Heart Evangelista and ran from November 17, 2008 to March 6, 2009. The connection between the two series was established in the premiere episode of Luna Blanca on May 21, 2012, through clips from Luna Mystika shown while the character Rowena, played by Camille Prats, narrated a story to children about the Sagrado family and the engkanto-blooded twins Luna and Celestina. Lolo Igme, portrayed by Dante Rivero, who also appeared in the prequel as Joaquin Sagrado, intervened and told Rowena not to mock her origin. Rowena is revealed as the last descendant of Luna Mystika, though she dismisses engkanto and supernatural creatures as myth until she encounters a black, smoke-like engkanto in the forest that rapes her. She later gives birth to unusual twins: one fair-skinned (Blanca) and one dark-complexioned (Luna), with Luna also possessing a mystical twin shadow. At the story conference on May 2, 2012, senior program manager Cheryl Ching-Sy described the series as a multi-generational drama running three chapters with different actor lineups per generation, targeting a 25-week run. Director Dominic Zapata was hired to direct.