Precious little is known about the story or even overall tone of the upcoming Power Rangers movie, the feature film reboot of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV show, besides keeping the basic setup of five teens from Angel Grove protecting Earth against malevolent alien with Rita Repulsa. Bryan Cranston, who plays the teens’ mentor and Rita’s ancient nemesis Zordon, recently talked about how the movie will take a vastly different approach to the TV series.
Cranston, the Emmy Award-winning star of Breaking Bad, shared with the Huffington Post that he wasn’t that excited to return to the Power Rangers franchise. The original Blue Ranger, “Billy Cranston,” was named after him for his early voice acting work for the monster characters in the show during the 90’s.
Excited to play #Zordon in the #PowerRangersMovie! T or F: #BlueRanger Billy Cranston was named after what actor? https://t.co/d3ltjpcDKb
"” Bryan Cranston (@BryanCranston) June 21, 2016
"I wasn't really high on it until I talked to the producer and read the script and talked to the director,” says Cranston. “After that I went, "˜This is different.' This is as different a reimagining as the "˜Batman' television series as it became the "˜Batman' movie series. You can't compare those two, and nor can you compare this movie version of the "˜Power Rangers' to that television series. It's unrecognizable for the most part. There are tenets of the folklore that you hold onto for sure, but the inspiration is different, and the sensibility of it, and the approach to the film making is completely different."
Cranston then clarifies that he was referring to the difference between the 1960s Adam West Batman and Christopher Nolan’s gritty Dark Knight Trilogy.
"I don't know if the tone is as dark as ["˜The Dark Knight'] because you're dealing with teenagers. So the appropriateness of that, and real teenage life, and going through high school and the cliques and the popularity or lack thereof, and the bullies and all the different sections and sub-sections of high school life, and the insecurities of these kids and things like that "” hopes and dreams "” and you embrace all of that into a retelling of the "˜Power Rangers.' And what you would get is this new version, this new reimagined version."
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The long-running Power Rangers franchise has had numerous styles and themes over the years, debuting a new team with new enemies on each new incarnation. There have been Power Rangers versions set in post-apocalyptic wastelands, fairy tale kingdoms, and even outer space. These variations were made necessary due to the nature of how the series are created using footage from Japan’s even longer-running Super Sentai series.
It makes sense for the 2017 Power Rangers movie to aim for an older audience, since fans of the original Mighty Morphin series are likely to all be adults now. However, the movie will have to be careful not to completely lose the colorful, campy aesthetic the franchise is known for.
Promotional photos of the Power Rangers reboot have so far showed only a more futuristic look seemingly influenced by Marvel’s Iron Man. We will have to wait for actual footage from the movie, which is expected to arrive next week at San Diego Comic-Con 2016.
Power Rangers will be arriving in cinemas on March 24, 2017.
Are you looking forward to a darker, more realistic take on the Power Rangers? Let us know in the comments!
