First POWER RANGERS Photo, and Director Talks "Edgy" Costumes and Rita Repulsa
The Power Rangers assemble in the first photo from the new film, which is currently in production. The group is comprised of actors Dacre Montgomery (A Few Less Men) as Jason the Red Ranger, RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) as Billy the Blue Ranger, Naomi Scott (The 33) as Kimberly the Pink Ranger, Becky G (Empire) as Trini the Yellow Ranger, and Ludi Lin (Monster Hunt) as Zack the Black Ranger. I'm sure we'll get to see them in their fighting costumes soon enough.
While talking about the costumes in an interview with EW, director Dean Israelite said that the new costumes are “really modern, edgy, badass, [and have an] aspirational quality.” He went on a little further:
“We’ve really pushed ourselves to make them feel different from any other superhero costume that’s out there. One key that’s different to the Power Ranger suits is that they’re not really suits that people get into. They’re suits that morph onto our kids, so they already have this almost metaphysical quality to them.”
The first thought that popped into my head when I read that was how that's exactly what Warner Bros. did with Green Lantern's costume. Hopefully they don't take it down that road, and if they do, hopefully it's better than what happened with Green Lantern.
The director went on to talk about the villain in the film, Rita Repulsa, and how Elizabeth Banks is the perfect actress to play the character:
“It’s very exciting that we got [Banks], and I think what she loves is the opportunity to really embrace the insanity and deliciousness of Rita Repulsa in terms of how weird and wonderful that character was, and really dive into and consume that character. You should always be off-balance when you’re watching her. Is she insane? Is she totally calculated? Does she know what she’s doing? Elizabeth can toe that line really well.”
Hopefully Israelite is going to give the fans what they want. I'll hold off any judgment until I actually see some footage from the film, but it'd be great if the director actually gives us something awesome. Do you think he'll be able to pull it off? Here's the synopsis:
Saban's Power Rangers follows five ordinary high school kids who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove - and the world - is on the verge of being obliterated by n alien threats. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover that they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so they will have to overcome their real-life issues and band together as the Power Rangers before it is too late.
Power Rangers is set to be released on March 24, 2017.