Tag: Mighty Morphin

6 Amazing Storylines BOOM! Studios’ ‘Power Rangers’ Could Explore

by Eric Francisco

Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers is one of the best selling comic books right now. That shouldn’t be a surprise, because it’s really good! According to Diamond Comics Distributors, Power Rangers written by Kyle Higgins and published by BOOM! Studios was the #2 selling comic of March 2016 surpassing DC’s Superman and Marvel’s Star Wars. I live in a world where Power Rangers sells more than Star Wars, and I love it. (Nothing against Star Wars, for the record. That’s a great book too.)

In a recent interview on Comic Book Resources, BOOM! marketing president Filip Sablik hinted something grander at play for the rainbow-colored super squad at BOOM due to the series’ success. “It’s been around 20-plus years, and every couple years it gets completely reinvented,” Sablik said. “What’s amazing about the possibilities is, you could go do a Power Rangers project that’s completely in a different part of their mythology, that’s aimed at different readers. The Power Rangers series we’re doing is very much for people that were kids when the series came out. That’s a very different tone than if we were to do a series that was currently on the air and that’s aimed at kids.”

BOOM! has already planned a limited spin-off series, Power Rangers: Pink from DC writer Brendan Fletcher (Black Canary), which is going to be totally sweet. But what else could they do? Here are six killer ideas for BOOM! if the company is serious about expanding upon its newest goldmine.

1) Rita and Zordon’s 2,ooo Year War

Ten thousand years ago, Rita Repulsa and Zordon locked each other into a stalemate. When Zordon trapped her in a space dumpster, Rita locked Zordon away in a dimensional warp. That’s what that giant tube is all about. But what happened in that original battle?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJaBxHtMS5g

If there’s one thing Power Rangers doesn’t get recognized for is its wholly original take on space fantasy not seen since Edgar Rice Burroughs. There’s an entire galaxy of stories and mythology Power Rangers came loaded with right out of the first episode. What happened between Rita and Zordon? Who was Zordon when he was a wizard? What was his home planet, Eltar, like? How important was Zordon to the Eltarians? Why and how did Rita become who she was? We later saw glimpses of Rita’s family — her brother Rito Revolto and her father, Master Vile — but we really don’t know enough about Rita’s species or origins. There was also some confusing retconning in Season 2, when it was revealed Lord Zedd left Rita in charge. So what was Rita to Zedd before that?

We never saw these questions answered in the original Power Rangers TV show, because there were toys to sell and garbage to clean up at Angel Grove park. But a comic book — not restricted to TV budgets — would be an excellent medium to explore the entirely unexplored fantasy-driven mythology of Rita and Zordon’s origins before five teenagers with attitude came around.

2.) How the Alien Rangers of Aquitar Assembled

In Season 3 of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, the Rangers are turned into children and must journey to find the Zeo Crystals to reverse the spell. For the final ten episodes of Season 3, the Alien Rangers of Aquitar (whose costumes came from 1994’s Ninja Sentai Kakuranger) took over protecting Angel Grove, fending off against Zedd’s monsters like Hydro Hog.

But we never saw their story. Who were these Aquitar guardians like when they first teamed up? How did they team up? Unlike the Power Rangers of Earth, the Alien Rangers seem sanctioned by the Aquitar government. (And what KIND of government does Aquitar have?) Eventually in Power Rangers Zeo, Billy leaves Angel Grove and lives on Aquitar. If Billy is to suffer a similar fate on Higgins’s Power Rangers, it would be nice to know he’s living with characters we comfortably know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yPo_tRP0HU

3.) What Became of the Colonial Green Ranger

In the Season 2 two-parter “Return of the Green Ranger,” Rita Repulsa recruits the Wizard of Deception into making a clone of Tommy Oliver who unleashes a clone carrying the Green Ranger powers against the White Ranger, the real Tommy. While the two Tommys battle, the other Rangers are sent back in time to 18th century Angel Grove because… Because. Eventually, the two Tommys go back to 1700s Angel Grove to save the Rangers and colonial Angel Grove from the Wizard’s mutant rat monsters. (It barely makes sense when you watch the episode.) Now fighting for good, the Green Ranger clone stays behind to protect Angel Grove in the colonial era.

This is where I should clarify that many fans speculate Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers takes place in an alternate Earth. There were no colonial settlers out west before the Louisiana Purchase, especially not in what would become Angel Grove, California. So, it’s historically impossible a Green Ranger could protect a colonial California village (aside from the fact that I’m talking about a Green Ranger in THE COLONIAL PERIOD).

But you know, what if? None of “Return of the Green Ranger” hasn’t happened (yet?) in Higgins’s series, which is still covering Tommy’s early days as the real Green Ranger. But time travel is a funny thing. If — and this is a big fat if — there’s already a Green Ranger who protected westward settlers and Native Americans from ancient threats in 1700s Angel Grove? The comic could be more accurate and set as a proper western. What would the history books say about him? I’d love to see a comic book about that in the same vein as Marvel’s Old Man Logan or DC’s Gotham by Gaslight.

4.) How Dax Became Masked Rider, and What Happened to Him

You do know that Alpha 5, the quirky robot assistant to the Power Rangers and Zordon, wasn’t made by Zordon, right? Alpha, that sentient automaton, was built on the distant planet Edenoi, which by Season 3 of Power Rangers was a Mad Max-esque wasteland dominated by the evil Count Dregon. Prince Dax, a.k.a. the Masked Rider, teams up with the Power Rangers in the three-part episode “A Friend in Need” which served as a backdoor pilot for his own spin-off series, Masked Rider.

Masked Rider tanked in the ratings, so don’t bet a full-fledged Masked Rider comic book could do well in sales. But tied well enough to Higgins’s Power Rangers and there’s a universe of potential. We never really saw what became of Dax’s adventures when Masked Rider ended, and he was never  heard from again in the Power Rangers universe. He’s still around somewhere. I wonder what he’s up to.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX6-DwRXe8Y

5.) The Story of the Phantom Ranger, Zordon’s Son

In Power Rangers Turbo, an obsidian stranger came to help the Rangers whenever they needed him the most. He was the mysterious Phantom Ranger, who got shockingly close with Cassie, the Pink Ranger. He was a soft-spoken hunk in diesel tubes, and his costume was totally badass. I went as him for Halloween once.

But who was he? By Power Rangers In Space the Phantom Ranger had disappeared, and in the climactic finale “Countdown to Destruction” he and the Blue Senturion were fighting the Alliance of Evil on — Eltar? It was never explained. Many fans have long speculated whether or not the Phantom Ranger was Zordon’s son. It’s a good theory with little to support it, but that hasn’t stopped countless fanfiction from dominating the fandom.

A comic book exploring the Phantom Ranger, as the son of Zordon of all people, would be a fascinating one in the whole of the Power Rangers universe. Why didn’t the Phantom Ranger become one of the Power Rangers? Why did Zordon keep him a secret? What was he like before he put on that Darth Vader-esque outfit? As a kid, I used to think he was horribly scarred, hinted by the entire storyline surrounding his stolen ruby that gave him life like Iron Man’s Arc Reactor.

As the son of the mentor to the world’s greatest heroes, a cast-off prince would be an incredible story to explore. And maybe, just maybe, his broken relationship with his father led to his loss at the hands of Rita…

6.) The Real, Original Power Rangers: The Zyurangers?

It’s been widely hinted in Power Rangers lore that Zordon has always used a group of teenagers to battle the forces of evil. Cases of “Ancient Rangers” have appeared in instances like Power Rangers Wild Force and Power Rangers Lost Galaxy. But, if you haven’t already noticed, ancient history has never been fully explored.

Who were Zordon’s “Power Rangers” when his war with Rita ended? As a fan with nothing better to do, I’ve always thought how cool it would be if Zordon’s first Power Rangers resembled the Zyuranger, from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger, the 1992 Super Sentai series that provided the initial basis for Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers.

Geki, Dan, Goushi, Boi, Mei, Burai. Sure, they don’t have to be the actual Zyurangers, but it’d be the ultimate fanservice in a legitimately cool way if the Rangers who actually preceded Jason, Billy, Zack, Trini, Kim, and Tommy were in fact the “Zyuranger.” Like the Alien Rangers, I wonder what they were like. What bugged them? What were their goals? What would they be like raised in a society that’s been at war for two millennia? Geki and Burai’s story — a spoiled prince versus his pauper brother — is ripe with so many possibilities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOjBcWEJzLg

As far as I’m concerned, BOOM! is killing it with Power Rangers. But exploring these stories is too good of an opportunity for anyone with the license to pass up.

Shout! Factory Releasing ‘Kakuranger’ On DVD In 2016

by Eric Francisco

During Shout! Factory’s Zyuranger marathon (which we’ve been tweeting along all morning!), a new promo aired advertising the next Super Sentai release: Ninja Sentai Kakuranger!

That’s right: the source material for Mighty Morphin‘s third season replacement squad Alien Rangers as well as the giant Zords — the Ninja Megazord and Shogun Megazords — will hit U.S. shores on DVD.

It’s currently unknown what the specific date will be as well as what bonus features, if any, will be included. Zyuranger had the panel that I moderated as a bonus while Dairanger was a bare bones release.

I’m very excited. Kakuranger is the series I was most hoping for when Shout! began to import the Super Sentai series. Former Ninja Warrior contestant Kane Kosugi, who also starred in DOA: Dead or Alive and Isaac Florentine’s Ninja: Shadow of a Tear plays Jiraiya, a.k.a. Ninja Black in Kakuranger. He plays a California-born ninja and speaks a ton of English in the series. I can’t wait!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYWzu1mARsE

Shout! Factory Will Stream a ‘Super Sentai Zyuranger’ Marathon on January 23

by Eric Francisco

Set the date: On January 23rd at 9am PST, Shout! Factory will stream a marathon of Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger, the original Super Sentai series from Japan that provided the aesthetic basis of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, on Shout! Factory TV. The marathon will be hosted by Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters author August Ragone, who previously hosted Shout! Factory’s various kaiju movie marathons last year.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BAacWq3otEZ/

I never thought as a die-hard Power Rangers fan that we’d ever see a U.S. domestic release of the Super Sentai series that provided the basis for Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. Yet in 2015, Shout! Factory made our dreams come true with not one, but two complete DVD sets of Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger and Gosei Sentai Dairanger. I’ve been working my way through Dairanger a lot more slowly than I like, but I’m also just enjoying them like fine wine: Slow, steady, and savoring every second. (Even if Dairanger is admittedly not that great.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H1S4mQhifo

I’m also considering this a present from Shout! Factory to me since the marathon is happening literally the day before my birthday. Thanks Shout! You guys shouldn’t have. But please do, and more often.

‘Power Rangers’ From BOOM! Studios Is the Most-Anticipated Comic of 2016

by Eric Francisco

If you didn’t know, BOOM! acquired the rights to Saban’s Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers last summer and the first issue, the #0 prelude, will arrive on store shelves this month. Judging by how BOOM! handles its licenses and the great care Kyle Higgins has stated he’s approaching the project, you should be keeping Power Rangers on your radar. I can’t speak for everyone at Geekscape, but Power Rangers is the most-anticipated comic of 2016.

Last fall, writer Kyle Higgins (best known for his work on DC’s Nightwing and his original series C.O.W.L. from Image Comics) went on the interview train and spoke to everyone from Comic Book Resources to GQ about his interpretation of the ’90s teenagers with attitudes. Throughout them all he reiterates a lot of the same points: The story will begin after the events of the “Green With Evil” saga which featured Tommy’s turn as Rita’s evil Green Ranger. The “contemporary” story (it takes place in 2015, instead of 1993) will feature themes of trust and the isolation of being an outsider.

Kevin Wada's variant cover for 'Power Rangers #1' releasing in March.
Kevin Wada’s variant cover for ‘Power Rangers #1’ releasing in March. First shown by ComicsAlliance.

It’s difficult for me to really convey to non-Power Rangers fans why a kitschy show stitched from cheap Japanese sci-fi resonates so much. Many can’t get past the rubber suits and Doctor Who special effects, but deep down there is a rich story to be had about friendship and teamwork through the 20-plus years of stories. To the show’s discredit, they’ve regularly failed at telling that story effectively.

Plagued by tight budgets, exhausting schedules, and the burden to sell toys, it’s in the DNA for Power Rangers to be an sloppy, cobbled-together mess. Sometimes it’s been brilliant (Time Force, DinoThunder, RPM), but it’s often been despite itself. Still, the premise at its most bare-bones is forever promising: Five teenagers become superheroes to save the world. To anyone who has read Spider-Man or X-Men or the Harry Potter books, that shouldn’t be strange or a poor story in the slightest.

The character designs as they will appear in the series, from artist Hendry Prasetya. First revealed by ComicBook.
The character designs as they will appear in the series, from artist Hendry Prasetya. First revealed by ComicBook.

A comic book, with a wide-open imagination and hardly a budget to consider, is probably the best medium for the show, and I say that with memories of the television show in my head. I love seeing the live-action martial arts and Megazords as much as any Power Ranges fan, but in the interest of a rich and compelling story without the kitschy flavor that has turned off 90% of the first-world audience away from the show, a monthly comic book series is exactly the kind of medium this story needs to stretch.

And it seems Kyle Higgins is aware of that.

In an interview with Comic Book Resources:

[T]o me, the heart and soul of Power Rangers as a concept is a combination of the ordinary made extraordinary, great power and great responsibility, and teamwork. As kids, we all want to feel special — especially when we don’t fit in.

 

As anyone who’s ever been the new person in a group, on a team, or at a high school can attest, it’s often incredibly hard to fit in. It takes time to get to know people, earn their trust, and for them to earn yours. You often overcompensate, make mistakes, and rub people the wrong way. And while a group might look great on paper, there are going to be bumps along the road as everyone learns to work together — just look at any LeBron James basketball team of the last five years. Take that dynamic, add in the clique-drama of high school, the stakes of trying to save the world, and the fact that Tommy spent weeks trying to kill the Power Rangers — while under mind control — and it’s easy to understand how his addition might take some getting used to.

Here is Higgins speaking to the LA Times:

It’s a big serialized story. And one of the benefits that we have that the original show didn’t was, we have a format that really lends itself to serialized storytelling. I’m working with [artist] Hendry Prasetya, who is just fantastic. He can draw anything. So we’re able to do things visually that the show was never really able to do because of the limitations the show had, like using preexisting footage.

 

Thematically and emotionally I’m able to explore things in the writing that the show with the format of the show was never really able to do either. So working within this medium has been a lot of fun, specifically, for Power Rangers. I think it lends itself quite well to it.

 

So while there is a big focus on Tommy, especially in the first arc, everyone kind of has their own story and they all feed into each other’s. I really wanted to make sure I was exploring different storylines for each Ranger.

 

[Y]ou’re looking at a group of individuals who are a part of a team and each one is defined by not only a different color but different kinds of flourishes in their costumes as well. So visually you have this group of individuals that is also a part of a larger whole, and there was just something about that. Even the X-Men, growing up, didn’t feel as much like a unified team as the Power Rangers.

And with Newsarama:

I would never say never to [origin tales], but I’m telling new stories. I’m not telling stories for the sake of filling in for continuity or for the sake of answering mythology questions like that. To me, that’s a bulls— reason to tell a story. If it has an emotional truth to it and it’s part of what I’m trying to tell, that’s great, I’ll use it. First and foremost, my focus is on these six rangers and their interactions and their lives and the drama that comes out of being both a Power Ranger and a teenager.

And with GQ. Never forget this time GQ took Power Rangers seriously.

“There’s something very pure about it,” he adds. “It’s good versus evil in its purest, best form. Not for one minute did I think there was any sort of stigma for doing a book like this. I love the world, I love the characters, I love the concepts, and if I can do something cool with it, then I want to do it.”

At New York Comic-Con, I asked Higgins what his plans were to address the series’ diversity — because no one will shut up about certain Rangers being certain persons of color — and he had this to say:

When I watched the show growing up, I didn’t think about that at all. I don’t really have a great answer right now, but it’s something that I’m aware of, it’s something that’s definitely on my radar. I can’t really give too much info on what we’re going into at this point, but it’s definitely something on our radar.

So we’ve got compelling teenage drama concerning trust and friendship with the exciting superhero action and giant robots you can expect. What’s not to love?

Power Rangers #0 from BOOM! Studios will hit store shelves January 13.

The Red Ranger Is Back to Action at Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade 2015

by Eric Francisco

At this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Red Ranger is getting back to action.

On the 89th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday, November 26, the Red Ranger will be a part of the march up and down Manhattan for the second year in a row. The special will air live on NBC from 9am until 12pm, all time zones.

The Red Ranger joins Ronald McDonald, the Good Dinosaur from The Good Dinosaur (I don’t know his name), the main Angry Bird, two elves from something I don’t know, Santa Claus, and Scrat from Ice Age for some reason. This is a pretty shitty Avengers, if you ask me.

2015 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade poster

As a kid, I had always dreamt that my beloved Power Rangers would be at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. I spent my childhood near the Natural History Museum near Central Park on Thanksgiving eve to see the balloons get inflated, from Spider-Man to Cat in the Hat to Rugrats. The Power Rangers have been a staple since 2010, but since last year the Red Ranger had his own balloon.

Breaking Down the Potential 2017 ‘Power Rangers’ Cast

by Eric Francisco

Variety has reported that a slew of young Hollywood actors will begin testing for 2017’s Power Rangers, set to be directed by Project Almanac helmer Dean Israelite with a script by Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz of X-Men: First Class and Thor. Based on the information, I can say that for the most part, they’ve chosen well!

From Variety:

Sources tell Variety the studio is about to begin testing young talent, looking at up-and-coming actors and actresses to make up the team. Sources say Daniel Zovatto (“It Follows”), Ross Butler (“Chasing Life”) and Brian “Sene” Marc are among those testing for Zack (aka the Black Ranger), while KJ Apa (“Shortland Street”), Austin Butler (“The Shannara Chronicles”) and Mitchell Hope (“The Descendants”) are testing for Jason (aka the Red Ranger).

Sources also say Naomi Scott (“The Martian”) and newcomer Stephanie Scott are up for the role of Kimberley (aka the Pink Ranger). Insiders say the studio is looking for fresh faces to fill out the team and will probably look for a big name to play the antagonist for the films, though no offers have been made for that part.

These are quite the batch of promising young stars, but let’s break them down by character and see how well each candidate would portray our beloved teenagers with attitude. As of now, we only know the potential candidates for Jason, Zack, and Kimberly.

Let’s take a look at Zack. For a refresher, here is the rumored character description.

17 years old, always the life of the party. Filled with bravado and swagger, Zack’s tough and cool on the exterior. A charming guy who’s never had trouble with the one-liner, nor lacked confidence around women. A great athlete that’s never wanted to play on any team but his own. Zack advertises everything about himself, except the truth, which is that he lives in a trailer park with his single mom, and because of it, feels deeply inferior to all his peers.

Proposed actors: Daniel Zovatto, Ross Butler, Brian Marc.

WOW. They’re really uncomfortable casting a black actor for Zack, and in some ways that’s a bummer. Power Rangers never intentionally casted by skin, but the producers they must feel as though they just can’t get away with letting Zack the Black Ranger be black. While people object to that, the Black Ranger has become an icon for black millennials, and to see that changed would turn ticket-buyers away from the movie. From what I gather, Brian Marc — who doesn’t have much of a body of work to judge him by — is of mixed race.

Ross Butler, however, is Asian. His acting credits are a bit longer than Brian Marc’s, mainly in some Disney stuff and TNT series. He’d be an interesting choice: Besides being Asian and bucking Asian stereotypes (again, read his rumored description), he has a cool air about himself — necessary for Zack –that I’d be excited to see.

Of course, Daniel Zovatto is the highest profile actor, having been on the horror hit It Follows and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. While I hope Zack stays an actor of color, Zovatto would be equally exciting as the Black Ranger.

My personal hope is that Ross Butler gets it. Just because it would be a really significant step for Asian men and POC superheroes. Zovatto wouldn’t be bad either but I don’t think he needs Power Rangers, and sadly Brian just doesn’t have enough for me to judge from.

Now, Kimberly.

17 years old, unconventionally cool all in a way the popular girls wish they were. In fact, she was one of those girls, but isn’t anymore. Not since she’s returned to school after an absence of 6 months. Rumors are flying as to why; rumors she seems not to care about, because she’s come back with this new rebel-without-a-cause, edgy attitude. But the truth is, it’s all masking a deep secret that makes her feel profoundly vulnerable.

Proposed actresses: Naomi Scott, Stephanie Scott.

Both actresses are exactly what they’re looking for: young, pretty, and up-and-coming. Both have respectable resumes (Naomi Scott was just in The Martian, although I honestly don’t remember her character). She was, however, a star in Terra Nova, which I did not see enough of to judge her from. It’s also worth mentioning she’s British-Indian, which is a rad departure from the brunette Valley Girl that Kimberly originally was.

Stefanie Scott, just 18 years-old and having starred in Insidious 3 and the upcoming Jem and the Holograms, IS your typical blonde-looking teen, and is a pop star as well. I always imagined a pop star actress would be Kimberly.

In the end, what matters for Kimberly is that she needs to be smarter and more clever than she appears to be. She has to be beautiful, yes, but she’s also not a dumb Barbie. She’s whip-smart and clever, and deceptively so. That’s what’s needed for Kimberly. Either Naomi or Stefanie would be good, but I think Naomi would be more interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVlyEVDhDN0

Now, Jason.

17 years old, the makings of someone or something great if he would just get out of his own way. Jason was a legend of this town — a freshman quarterback with the skills to take him all the way. People knew his name. Children wore his jersey. Until, one night Jason wrapped his car around a pole and busted out his knee. Everything Jason was going to become ended in an instant. And with it, he lost himself. When we meet him at the start of the film, he’s a kid in need of redemption. By the end, he’ll be leading this disparate group of teens to shed their individual baggage and find who they truly are.

Proposed actors: KJ Apa, Austin Butler, Mitchell Hope.

I think I’ve mentioned how much I hate they’re departing Jason from his martial arts roots, but what kid could relate to karate when their dads want them playing football?

Disappointingly, all actors are white dudes, and none of them remotely resemble what Jason should be. I don’t get a square-jawed hero vibe from any of them, and even with his emo-laced description I just don’t see any of these guys fitting that role. Mitchell Hope is the closest one, but I’m still not sold.

Is Jon Foo too old? They can just CGI the shit out of him into looking like a teenager, right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjIEL6fUOUA

Neither Trini nor Billy‘s proposed performers were mentioned by Variety (maybe I should audition!), but they’re bound to be filled soon.

Power Rangers is set for release on January 13, 2017.

Boom! Studios ‘Power Rangers’ Series Debuts January, ‘Batman Eternal’ Writer Attached

by Eric Francisco

Boom! Studios’ anticipated Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series will debut this January with issue #0, and Batman Eternal and Nightwing writer Kyle Higgins penning the script.

When Boom! announced they were writing Power Rangers I anxiously scoured for any information regarding these exact details. I wanted to know who would be taking care of my beloved Rangers (because Boom! sure as hell wouldn’t ask me) and I wanted to know when exactly I should be spending my money. San Diego Comic-Con came and went — where I lucked out and bought all six blind bagged exclusive one-shots written by the wonderful Mairghread Scott — and I gave up trying to learn more. It’s a good thing I gave up, then! That’s a great lesson for life.

Issue #0 will include Scott’s Comic-Con short with art by Daniel Bayliss. It’s unknown who will draw the main series, but I do hope it’s Bayliss. I liked his coloring and representation of the Power Rangers.

Until January, gawk at the amazing covers by Goñi Montes, and Entertainment Weekly has the exclusive look at his White Ranger cover.

power-rangers-white

The New ‘Power Rangers’ Movie Got Them Wrong, and That’s Okay

by Eric Francisco

Yesterday Collider let loose what they claim to be an exclusive look at the character bios of the titular heroes in 2017’s Power Rangers, which will have Project Almanac director Dean Israelite at the helm. I’m not going to copy and paste them here, partly because we could use the clicks to our pages and also because it defeats the purpose of what Derek wrote before I could.

Based on this information that we’re trusting Collider to be legit, these new 2017 Power Rangers are missing the things that made us love the original Power Rangers in the first place. And maybe that’s all right.

To anyone outside of Power Rangers fan circles, they sound great. They sound troubled, complex, insecure, and flawed. Basically, they’re teenagers. Of most note to me was that the descriptions strictly discussed their emotional state. But to anyone who still cares about this silly show twenty years later, they’re largely unrecognizable from the Angel Grove teens we grew up with.

These character bios, perhaps intentionally, sound incredibly ambiguous. Does Jason know karate? Can Zack dance? Is Billy smart? Aside from stuff about Jason being a star football player (he wasn’t — more on that later) and Zack living in a trailer park, there’s really not many surface details that give these heroes better shape. It’s funny that most blogs reporting on these details deride how paper-thin the original characters were — and no, they’re not wrong, they weren’t very complex — but the original Rangers had far more potential for growth than the 2017 Rangers, whose backgrounds, while interesting, have predictable trajectories. In the end, we know Jason will get over his football injury, Zack will accept who he is, Billy will get his swagger, Trini will find her place, and Kimberly will move on from her past. If they don’t, they can’t become the Power Rangers.

Again, the bios are ambiguous and perhaps not telling us everything, but I kind of wish they told just a little more. I miss the individual talents the Rangers had. They all made sense. Jason’s martial arts, Kim’s gymnastics, Billy’s brain, all that shit were their superpowers. The Rangers never relied on conventional superpowers to save the day, they only had themselves, but at their peak.

It’s not a bad lesson to teach kids and adults that the only power they need are the gifts they have already, and many of these gifts the Rangers had came from sheer dedication and hard work. Jason earned his black belt, he wasn’t bitten by a radioactive karate master to get it.

Still, I’m excusing it. If Power Rangers 2017 sweeps everything we loved about the original guys under the rug, I’m okay with that. Being a slave to the source material is creatively restricting, and these bios show that the film’s creative team are putting effort to think outside the box. I’ll be crossing my fingers that Jason is still something of a martial arts expert (Austin St. John himself said he always saw Jason as kind of a younger Bruce Lee, not an all-American bro out of Friday Night Lights). But if he’s not, I don’t see it as spitting on the show I loved twenty years ago. I see it as willingness to evolve.

The Character Names And Descriptions From The Upcoming ‘Power Rangers’ Movie Have Been Revealed!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: We’re still not seeing the film until January 2017 (damnit), so until then, we’ll take every morsel of information that we can get.

Collider has just published descriptions for the film’s main characters, which were appear to have been provided by sources close to the film.

I don’t know what our resident ranger expert, Eric Francisco thinks, but these characters certainly sounds developed, and far more like kids with kid problems than we saw in the original Mighty Morphin series.

Take a gander at the descriptions below:

Jason – 17 years old, the makings of someone or something great if he would just get out of his own way. Jason was a legend of this town—a freshman quarterback with the skills to take him all the way. People knew his name. Children wore his jersey. Until, one night Jason wrapped his car around a pole and busted out his knee. Everything Jason was going to become ended in an instant. And with it, he lost himself. When we meet him at the start of the film, he’s a kid in need of redemption. By the end, he’ll be leading this disparate group of teens to shed their individual baggage and find who they truly are.

 

Kimberly – 17 years old, unconventionally cool all in a way the popular girls wish they were. In fact, she was one of those girls, but isn’t anymore. Not since she’s returned to school after an absence of 6 months. Rumors are flying as to why; rumors she seems not to care about, because she’s come back with this new rebel-without-a-cause, edgy attitude. But the truth is, it’s all masking a deep secret that makes her feel profoundly vulnerable.

 

Trini – 17 years old, mysterious and extremely bright. Her parents constantly move for work, making Trini the perpetual new girl to any school. A loner who owns it, Trini is self-sufficient, contemplative, but always observant. All she wants is to find her gang of friends, but she’ll never admit it – least of all to herself.

 

Billy – 17 years old, slight and awkward. Billy is challenged in his abilities to communicate and interact socially. Whip-smart and sweet, but always odd. Sometimes in a fun way, sometimes not, Billy is a kid with no filter. Showing his emotions, understanding sarcasm, and dealing with his OCD is a constant challenge. Has never really had any friends and instantly gravitates towards Jason.

 

Zack – 17 years old, always the life of the party. Filled with bravado and swagger, Zack’s tough and cool on the exterior. A charming guy who’s never had trouble with the one-liner, nor lacked confidence around women. A great athlete that’s never wanted to play on any team but his own. Zack advertises everything about himself, except the truth, which is that he lives in a trailer park with his single mom, and because of it, feels deeply inferior to all his peers.

Are you looking forward to the Power Rangers film? Are you worried about your favourite childhood brand, or do you think that Project Almanac director Dean Israelite and team have a good handle on the property? Sound out below!

Sam Claflin of ‘The Hunger Games’ Hints Joining ‘Power Rangers’

by Eric Francisco

I had a hunch that Lionsgate were going to cast Power Rangers out of Hunger Games. I knew it.

ComicBook has picked up that The Hunger Games‘ Sam Claflin (I don’t know who he is either) tweeted “Go go power rangers.” a few days ago. In that exact spelling and punctuation. He seems very enthused. The tweet has been deleted, but ComicBook saved it.

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Without remembering a single second of him on screen, he’s probably their best option. Handsome, white, inoffensive, with a superhero build? He’s obviously being looked at for Jason, maybe Tommy, but I don’t think Tommy would be introduced in the first movie right away, would he? Also, I thought Lionsgate were looking for totally new, totally unknowns, and Sam’s got like 500K+ followers on Twitter. But if you’re not Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, or Josh Hutcherson then who are you really, amirite?

Whatever. I’m game. So long as none of them are younger than me then I’m just fine.

Power Rangers, which will be directed by Dean Israelite with a screenplay by X-Men: First Class writers Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller, is slated for Jan. 13, 2017, for some reason.

‘Power Rangers’ Delayed to 2017

by Eric Francisco

Ouch.

With the original theatrical release of July 22, 2016 fast approaching without so much of a confirmed director or cast, it seems Saban realized how much work it actually takes to make a successful Power Rangers movie franchise. Like a slacker student going to college on his rich daddy’s money, he’s asked the professor for an extension. To January 13, 2017.

From The Hollywood Reporter writer and head of nerd blog Heat Vision Borys Kit:

Instead of gunning for the summer release, it seems they’re trying for Martin Luther King Jr. weekend moviegoers. But has that ever worked before? No, and I don’t see Power Rangers being any different.

Expectations for this film are low, especially with Joseph Kahn and his POWER/RANGERS showing off a product that (arguably) the majority publicly have expressed actually wanting to see. While personally I didn’t like Kahn’s vision of the Power Rangers (I enjoyed the film just fine), I’m not exactly ecstatic over what we’ve heard about 2016/now 2017’s Power Rangers either — which is to say, we haven’t heard jack.

With no sources to back me up, I’m going to go on a hunch and predict Saban actually aiming for the summer 2017 release in the end. January just isn’t a good month for movies, and Power Rangers is Saban’s only viable franchise. It’s their baby, which is an honest-to-goodness accurate metaphor because they haven’t allowed their baby to grow for two decades. January is when studios take their ill-bred to shoot behind the barn, which Saban just wouldn’t allow. After Power Rangers, the next big movie is The Lego Batman Movie, which would be embarrassing if it actually beats Power Rangers.

As of now, 2017 is loaded with Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Planet of the Apes, Star Wars VIII, Furious 8 (expect this to change, there’s not even a script yet), Marvel’s Spider-Man, Toy Story 4, Despicable Me 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Wonder Woman, and Pacific Rim 2 as the lone wolf in August.

Maybe Saban should bet their kaiju vs. robots movie against the other one?

Former Yellow Ranger Karan Ashley Interviews ‘Zyuranger’ Cast on Uncensored Talk!

by Eric Francisco

Full disclosure: As stated in previous posts, former Power Rangers actress Karan Ashley (“Aisha,” the second Yellow Ranger) is a friend of mine.

But objectively, just as a fan of Power Rangers, the Super Sentai series and this whole bizarre niche of sci-fi and fantasy, this is incredible. This past weekend at the Lexington Comic & Toy Convention in Kentucky, both sides of the pacific clashed in a wonderful celebration of these color-coded space ninjas they built their careers upon in Karan Ashley’s Uncensored Talk, a web-based talk show that has featured the likes of Star Trek‘s Nichelle Nichols and other former Power Rangers.

Due to its length (just under 28 minutes) I haven’t had the chance to watch the whole thing yet, so check back later when I update this post with my reaction.

But I can say that when I was 10 years old and just discovering the online Power Rangers fandom (and why in the hell did my mom let me on the internet at 10-years-old?), Super Sentai felt like this weird, underground thing only the real fans knew about. Never mind that it wasn’t, it just felt like it. This was when even mainstream geek culture perceived Power Rangers to be a total Voltron knock-off, so knowing about Super Sentai gave the begrudging fans ammo and cred for years.

Now over a decade later as fandoms have penetrated the mainstream and knowledge of Super Sentai has become more widely known, no one has remained unreachable. That feeling of attainability, to shake the hand of someone you never thought you could, started when Yuta Mochizuki  (“Geki” the Tyranno Ranger in 1992’s Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger) appeared at last summer’s Power MorphiCon.

Fast forward a few months later to the hype of the Lexington con and almost out of the blue, Reiko Chiba (“Mei” the Ptera Ranger), Takumi Hashimoto (“Boi” the Tiger Ranger), and Aohisa Takayasu (“Goushi” the Mammoth Ranger) announced they’d be showing up for the convention, and who else but the amazing ball of enthusiasm and energy Karan Ashley sat them down for a half-hour for a truly historic meeting of geek legends.

For every Power Rangers and tokusatsu fan, this recent weekend in Lexington was a historic treat. I saw it all happen on my Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram feeds while I was stuck in New Jersey. I was hella jealous, sure, but I’ll feel better when I pimp out my weekend in San Diego this summer ad nauseam.

For now, enjoy Karan Ashley getting Austin St. John to hang out with the Zyurangers and come back to this post later when I update with my reaction.

Is a Mighty Morphin’/Dino Charge ‘Power Rangers’ Special Happening?

by Eric Francisco

We are just two episodes into Power Rangers Dino Charge and already fans are praising it for being an exceptionally better series than anything produced since the purchase from Disney in 2010. Fans had to wallow in the dark before the dawn, but Dino Charge is that dawn.

Right now that sun is shining brighter than ever, because a social media flub may have just unveiled HUGE news for Dino Charge: the return of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers!

The official Instagram account for Power Rangers uploaded the image below before being quickly deleted. This being the internet in 2015, of course you can still see it.

From Morphin’ Legacy on Facebook:

10991191_800995103281086_1698827447732839598_n

Take a moment to re-read it several times. You need to.

Seriously: Are we getting a Mighty Morphin’/Dino Charge crossover?

Let’s get some stuff out of the way.

First, team-up footage does exist thanks to the Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger movie featuring Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger and Bakuryu Sentai Abaranger. (I just lost like half the Geekscape audience now, didn’t I?) But as Dino Charge has proved just a few episodes in, they seem to not give many craps about Kyoryuger because the series has thus shown an overwhelming amount of entirely new footage. Executive producer and friend to all mankind, Judd Lynn, must have finally convinced Saban to really use that Saban money to make it rain up in the Power Rangers production offices!

Ahem. Basically, this means that just because there is existing footage of Mighty Morphin’ Rangers fighting with the current Dino Charge kids, that doesn’t mean a team-up was going to happen at all. But this Instagram gaff just made things a little more interesting.

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Second, full disclosure: Karan Ashley, the actress who portrayed Aisha the Yellow Ranger in seasons two and three of the original series and the 1995 film, is a friend of mine. However, she has not spoken to me about any sort of team-up or return to Power Rangers in any capacity. If she is indeed signed on for a team-up special, I can only assume she signed very strict NDAs and thus wouldn’t tell her friend, a geek blogger who writes for a news website. If our roles were reversed, I wouldn’t tell her anything either!

Third, how free are the original actors? Between the convention tours and involvement in non-Power Rangers projects, I can’t imagine when they can spend a week or two shooting in New Zealand. They have a far easier shot at booking the actors of DinoThunder, at least one would presume.

In any case, a Mighty Morphin’ team-up with Dino Charge would just be flat-out AWESOME. There have been many crossovers in the show’s history — and we’re coming off Super Megaforce, which was supposed to be the biggest one of them all (spoilers: it kinda wasn’t) — but a total original team/rookie squad dynamic has never been done before. I don’t count Operation Overdrive‘s “Once A Ranger” special in that context, since none of those veteran Rangers served on the same team.

Not to mention, it’s the freaking original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. No, this peculiar Instagram post didn’t feature Jason David Frank or Thuy Trang (of course, bless her soul). But this is about as close to the original team as possible, and seeing ALL of these Rangers back would make my heart sing.

What do you guys think? Are you excited for a possible, cross-generation team-up special? Let us know!

Original Power Ranger Austin St. John Offers Wisdom Over Rick Medina Arrest

by Eric Francisco

In case you missed it, actor Rick Medina, who portrayed Cole the Red Ranger in 2002’s Power Rangers Wild Force and villain Deker in 2011’s Power Rangers Samurai, has been arrested for the murder of 36-year-old Joshua Sutter. According to various reports, Medina was involved in a heated argument with his roommate when he escaped to his room. When his roommate forced himself in, Medina somehow brandished a sword and killed Sutter. Medina called the police himself shortly after. You can read this news anywhere online, but UPROXX has, in my opinion, the best researched piece, right down to the correct picture of Rick Medina, and not any of the original Power Rangers. I expected better from A.V. Club.

When the initial reports came in about a former Power Ranger who killed his roommate, I dreaded the incoming messages I’d receive. I did not look forward to the wave of jokes, misinformation, and constant rumor debunking I’d have to do, because I’m the “Power Rangers” guy in every social circle I’m in and people expect me to explain things to them even though I already have been clarifying such rumors for years. No one listens. No, the producers weren’t racist. No, the Red Ranger did not do gay porn, he was a military medic (and even if he did gay porn, who fucking cares?).  No, a Power Ranger hasn’t already killed someone before, that piece of shit was just an extra no one can point out. Still, people talk and the inevitable game of telephone mucks up what should already be a straight-forward story.

Sure enough, I was messaged throughout the day by various, truly well-meaning friends and acquaintances who only know anything about Power Rangers because of my association.

http://instagram.com/p/yn5QiaAN8o/?modal=true

As someone who has worked in some capacity with several former Power Rangers actors in the last few years, I feel like I have this unenviable responsibility to actually clear up a lot of misinformation and confusion that is bound to occur when any news comes out of a 20+ year old pop culture joke. I have to fight the snark and the dirty mess because somebody fucking died for no good reason and no one is willing to stand up for good taste and accuracy, and nobody cares to get their information right. I have to stop a tidal wave from hitting the shore and no one is listening to me when I yell to get to high ground.

My only solace is that I’m not alone. With me on this: Some actual, former Power Rangers themselves. Enter Austin St. John — yes, Jason, the ORIGINAL Red Ranger from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, former military paramedic and never has been an adult film star — offers the best, most poignant perspective on the incident. I do not know how well Austin knew Rick Medina, but they have worked together — they shared many scenes together in the “Forever Red” 10th anniversary special in 2002 — and, as Austin has said in interviews before, everyone who has ever been on the show are on the same team (this was in reference to rumors of alleged heat between himself and former Green/White Ranger Jason David Frank).

“What else really can be said that wouldn’t be a waste of everybody’s time?” Those are some amazing words, almost a shame they were used for this particular incident because they can be applicable for almost all baffling, equally heartbreaking news we hear about too often.

Also a shame: I will bet you all the money in the world and everything I own that this video gets zero traction from other geek news outlets.

I sincerely hope everybody finds peace soon.

‘Power Rangers’ Alum Rajia Baroudi Diagnosed With Cancer

by Eric Francisco

I caught wind of this earlier but couldn’t get to a computer in time to write it up. Former Power Rangers actress Rajia Baroudi has been diagnosed with acinic cell carcinoma.

A GoFundMe page has been started on behalf of the actress. A combination of controlled diets and holistic remedies are being used because she is allergic to particular chemicals, so chemotherapy is out of the question.

We are using diet and holistic remedies as she is an APOE Type 4/4 and is very sensitive to chemicals in her body – so no chemotherapy is being done.

Before you say that you’ve never seen Rajia say “It’s Morphin’ Time,” you totally did. Rajia Baroudi portrayed Delphine, the White Alien Ranger. She was the leader of the Alien Rangers of Aquitar in the mini-series Mighty Morphin’ Alien Rangers (SHE! SHE! Power Rangers had women leaders! DC didn’t announce a Wonder Woman movie until this year!) the 10-part finale of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers that transitioned the show into Power Rangers Zeo. So it’s a safe bet that she was a part of your childhood, no matter how small.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkO0c86y44w

Yeah, they weren’t credited in their own opening credits, which is all sorts of bullshit.

In addition to Power Rangers, Rajia has a varied career in video game voice acting, having lent her talents to Diablo III and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

A word about the Alien Rangers in Power Rangers lore: As beloved as Mighty Morphin’ is, I don’t hear a peep about the Alien Rangers whenever BuzzFeed gets nostalgic or a so-called ’90s kid dwells about, you know, the ’90s. I’ve always wondered why, because I can’t think of any kids’ TV show that managed to do the mini-series thing decades before Marvel’s Agent Carter.

The Alien Rangers were among the coolest things the original Mighty Morphin’ series ever did. They were totally weird, totally strange, and totally badass. The Alien Rangers hailed from an ocean planet, Aquitar — further expanding the scope of Power Rangers — and were hella weird human/fish hybrids that had cheesy-but-charming brain stuff on their heads. Their resting pose was a hand symbol and their heads constantly jerked, probably to drive home to kids still too young to comprehend language that they’re aliens. One would think the weird brain stuff would have communicated that easily.

I fucking loved the Alien Rangers. The Mighty Morphin’ costumes are classic, but the Alien Ranger costumes are beauty in simplicity. They have no diamond patterns or sculpted helmets, yet they all look amazing when paired together. They’re among my favorite costumes of all time even if they lasted just ten episodes. Because of how simple they were, I always drew them in my grammar school notebooks or art class projects like a dorky da Vinci, hiding them in plain sight. I remember doing their hand thing for the entirety of my oldest brother’s wedding, because I was seven and didn’t give a fuck. But the best thing about the Alien Rangers were how they contributed to Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers in ways no one ever thinks of: they expanded the universe. That seems pretty normal today since everything has to have a universe, but Power Rangers had a gigantic imagination that no other kids’ show had.

Power Rangers aired in a decade where TV sci-fi came back with a vengeance. Starting with Star Trek: The Next Generation in the late ’80s to The X-Files, Babylon 5, Farscape, Sliders, Stargate SG-1, Reboot, and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Voyager, Power Rangers is an underrated contributor to sci-fi that introduced a generation to love technology and giant robots. In turn, the show soon embraced its sci-fi aspects fully by exploring other planets, dimensions, and even alien societies (like Edenoi, featured in the three-part episode that introduced the spin-off series Masked Rider). In later years, sci-fi became Power Rangers‘ very identity with seasons like Lost Galaxy, Time Force, and SPD.

The Alien Rangers single-handedly added a dimension to Mighty Morphin‘, where suddenly Angel Grove, aka your backyard, isn’t all that matters. But no matter who they are, be it aliens or just people who look or sound different than you, goodness is universal and teamwork can overcome all.

As a lifelong Power Rangers fan, this is just awful news about Rajia. I can only speak as a fan and encourage you to donate and spread the word to get the lady back to full health.

You can learn more about acinic cell carcinoma here and you can donate to Rajia’s treatments on her GoFundMe here. We wish Rajia a speedy recovery.

Watch Two Power Rangers Megazords Beat Each Other Up in 3D Animated Short

by Eric Francisco

Wanna see the giant robots from Power Rangers beat each other up set to the creepy-as-hell “Requiem” from 2001: A Space Odyssey and Godzilla? Of course you do!

It occurred to me just this morning that at some point this year we will finally see tangible, physical evidence of next year’s Power Rangers reboot film. Once again, no, we still don’t know anything about it but rest assured we will let you know ASAP. (If I don’t die of cardiac arrest while posting it, that is.)

Until then, check out this 3D animated short film on YouTube from artist Dai Zyujin (fitting name!), who rendered two iconic Megazords from Power Rangers fighting each other in a bustling metropolis.

It’s a pretty great demonstration of the artist’s skills. The colors may be absurdly bright and saturated, but as the work of one guy it’s remarkably impressive filmmaking. It’s also the second in a series, and somehow this is the first I’ve ever seen of it. He (if he’s a he, very well could be a she!) is going to have one hell of a demo reel.

If you’re unfamiliar, these bad boys are the Daizyujin from Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger (better recognized as the Dino Megazord from the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers) and the Ohblocker from Chikyu Sentai Ohranger, or the Super Zeo Megazord from Power Rangers Zeo (which was a phenomenal season of Power Rangers, for the record). He’s the fella with the bright shapes, looking like he just jumped out of a pre-schooler’s toy chest. The one you saw a glimpse of  at the end who sucker punched the Mighty Morphin’ team was the Turbo Megazord, from Power Rangers Turbo. Hence the car wheel, obviously.

I’m about to bore you with my extreme Power Rangers fanboy knowledge, but this fight in theory could have happened (except maybe the Turbo Megazord). The Dino Megazord was long destroyed by the time the events of Power Rangers Zeo, but if time were not an issue? None of the core Power Rangers represented here share the same roster; the original Mighty Morphin’ whippersnappers everyone remembers (and won’t shut up about how racist the Ranger colors were) piloted the Dino Megazord, while the Zeo Rangers, whom you could consider their successors, piloted the Zeo Megazords. Tommy was of course the Green/White Mighty Morphin’ Ranger, but he had his own Zords and never piloted the Dino Megazord. But he also was the Red Zeo Ranger, which means he’s right there in the Super Zeo Megazord punching the shit out of his former comrades. The Turbo Megazord, however, was piloted by the same group of Power Rangers (with the exception of the Blue Ranger, Justin, who joined the team that season), but halfway through Turbo there was yet another roster change. So, maybe the Turbo Megazord is still able to join the fight.

I am so sorry if I lost anyone in that last paragraph.

With the 2016 Power Rangers on the horizon, this was a nice treat to watch. The artist has nothing to do with the movie as far as I know, but since Saban Brands or Lionsgate won’t even show us a peep, this is about as close to an epic Megazord fight we’ll see (until the trailer debuts online, of course).

Check out artist Dai Zyujin’s deviantArt page here!

‘Zyu 2’: Unused ‘Power Rangers’ Fight Scenes From Japan Now Online After Twenty Years

by Eric Francisco

I am so mad I only found this now because it was first uploaded all the way back in February, but I thought it was still worth sharing. Jeff Pruitt, the former stunt/action director of the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, has uploaded a chunk of old footage filmed in Japan and used exclusively for the American series. This footage, commonly referred to by fans as “Zyu 2,” is fabled for its rarity and that it contains unused fight scenes for various Power Rangers episodes.

For the first time in over twenty years, you can finally watch what was never used.

No one predicted Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers to be as successful as it was. Billionaire music mogul Haim Saban conceptualized the show after watching Super Sentai in his hotel room while in Japan (rumor has it, he was watching Bioman), and tried to shop an American version of the show to television networks for years. Today it would take him maybe one phone call and he’d have a deal on Hulu, but in the late ’80s importing a strange sci-fi show was like moving a mountain. He was constantly rejected until the stars aligned and the show was produced and aired in 1993.  But even then, he didn’t think it would last longer than a year.

Well, it did, and twenty years later you have obsessed weirdos like me going to conventions asking fellow fans if they can name the Wu-Tang Clan (yeah, I actually did it). But there was a pivotal moment in 1993 when the show was at its hottest and the FOX Kids network was even prepping it to air in prime-time. The only problem was that there was nothing left.

Producing Power Rangers, even today, is unlike any other scripted TV show. The show predominantly makes use of the long-running Japanese Super Sentai series as its source material. Each year, Power Rangers borrows costumes, props, monster suits, action scenes, (and during the Jonathan Tzachor years, entire storylines) from Toei Company’s franchise and tweak it to fit American tastes. They shoot new footage featuring American actors (or since 2003, New Zealand talent, you can hear their kiwi accents slip from time to time) so American kids and parents won’t be scared by a gang of Asians. That’s how Power Rangers is made.

But in 1993, Saban — and I mean Saban Entertainment (now Saban Brands), not the guy himself — didn’t know what to do. The original Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger footage from which Mighty Morphin’ was specifically adapted from had all been used, and whatever was left was pretty much unusable because Zyuranger even by its genre standards was a fucking weird show. Towards the finale, a disembodied head named Satan lends his powers to Frankenstein’s monster — YES, FRANKENSTEIN’S MONSTER — who goes bezerk and turns into a towering monster of meat and guts. It’s still a kids’ show, though.

With all action scenes used up, Saban went to Toei and paid for new footage for them to film so they can use it for their show. Stop for a second and think about how much balls that takes. To be a film company and admit that whatever you could create wouldn’t look as good as the original guys that did it. It is both EMBARRASSING and BALLSY to admit that. Also, CHEAP. Somehow, the Hollywood paperwork and noisy union fees that would have to go into shooting your own footage is far greater than asking a bunch of dudes in Japan to do the work for you. Imagine if the producers of Homeland, which was adapted from the Israeli series Prisoners of War, asked Gideon Raff if he could film new footage of terrorists blowing shit up for them to use exclusively. It’s completely unheard of.

But Saban’s check must have been pretty sweet because Toei did just what they asked. They shot entirely new footage of the Power Rangers fighting brand-new monsters and this footage, dubbed “Zyu 2” by fans, makes up for most of the fights in late season one and the first half of season two. And they have been uploaded in their raw(ish) glory, thanks to former director Jeff Pruit. The video is entirely silent, because duh, they were only shooting for fight scenes.

Fun note: The original Zyuranger had an emphasis on Tolkein-esque fantasy. The original monsters were goblins, orcs, minotaurs, trolls, skeletons, and dark knights. The monsters in “Zyu 2” were far more generic and less fantasy-themed, a rogues gallery of beetles, iguanas, apes, crawfish, sharks, and like fleas and shit.

Watching this video is a sublime experience. The video is silent but there is a slight hum that must have come from the VHS transfer. There is so much action and colors flashing on the screen, but with the audio cut it’s like watching ghosts. It’s like being in a dusty film archive in the middle of the night and coming across an old treasure.

This footage is fabled because we even though we see most of it on the show, just knowing how film production works there is a ton of stuff not used in the final episodes. There are gaps in continuity in the episodes that are fully explained with the unused material. There is also some pretty weird shit. Unfortunately this 30+ minute video doesn’t even cover half the episodes that contain “Zyu 2” footage, but considering it has been twenty years and that footage has likely been destroyed, we fans will eat up whatever we can get and this video is a Thanksgiving feast.

The big treat in watching this video is seeing the action continue from whatever Saban cut. Take for example the season two episode, “The Wanna-Be Ranger” with Primator, the white ape that can disguise himself as a Power Ranger. In the episode, Jason (Red Ranger) goes one-on-one with Primator disguised as the Red Ranger. Two Red Rangers fight and one of them — in true tokusatsu fashion — gets beaten and rolls over to his team-mates. Primator, as the fake Red Ranger separate from the others, quickly warns his “friends” that the Red Ranger with them isn’t the real one. The Rangers freak out — and now for some reason Kimberly (Pink Ranger) is now on the ground — and Primator taunts them and blasts them with laser eyes. That’s how the episode was edited.

Now check out the raw footage: Turns out, the rolled-over Red Ranger was Primator, and Jason was separate from his group. There is a whole fight sequence that Saban didn’t use! And it explains why Kimberly is down on the ground.

By far the coolest example of an unused fight happens with “The Power Stealer” that had the Octophantom. In the episode, the Rangers were taken prisoner by Lord Zedd and tied to posts on a rock quarry. Jason, once again, fights the Octophantom with the help of a mirror shield Billy (Blue Ranger) made. While Jason takes on the Octophantom, Billy leaps up to the quarry and frees the other Rangers, including a weakened Tommy (Green Ranger).

Billy freeing the other Rangers was American footage.

mmpramericanoctophantom

A little on the BDSM side, but still innocent enough for kids to understand and parents to not be offended by.

Now check out the shit Japan shot:

mmprjapanoctophantom

THE POWER RANGERS ARE BEING FUCKING CRUCIFIED. Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers was infamously under heavy fire from parents and TV censors for violence and inappropriate content, never mind you could probably see the same amount of violence in any Disney movie. Japan, probably unaware of the ruckus Power Rangers was making with Christian parents and slightly indifferent to religious symbols, shot this thing. I’m trying to imagine the heart attack the producers had when they saw this.

Also notable: MEGAZORD FIGHTS! Season two started with a massive change in merchandising, namely the giant Megazords the Power Rangers end their climactic fights with. The story behind this is another tale for another time, but season two started with brand new mecha, the Thunder Zords, from the series Gosei Sentai Dairanger. However, that was not planned during the production of these scenes, so there are some original Dinozord fights with season two monsters! For true Power Rangers buffs, that should be enough to want to see this video.

But the greatest thing about these clips is how much the Japanese production put effort into abiding by the characters established in Power Rangers and actually create some interesting filmmaking. The Power Rangers were radically different from the Zyurangers, and it is wonderful to see how the Japanese made sure that was reflected in these scenes. In the clips for “The Power Stealer,” Billy — who you remember, is the techy brainiac — invents his mirror shield device and struggles to carry it to the battlefield. The thing is heavy for him, he can barely run two feet without having to set it back down. When Jason, the powerful meathead jock, takes it he carries it like it’s nothing. That’s incredible. Toei could have skimped on the scenes and be as straightforward as possible. But they colored the scenes with not only character, but with awesome pans, zooms, punch-ins, dutch angles, and other stuff that wasn’t asked for. No other kids’ show had ever been filmed like this. They could have shot this in an afternoon and collected Saban’s money, but there was a ton of effort top to bottom. It’s no wonder American audiences were enamored with the Power Rangers. There was really nothing like it.

Importantly, credit must be given to the costume actors and stunt men. Imagine being on set and having to act out for lines that haven’t been written yet in a costume where no one can know what you’re saying. The Japanese stuntmen are some of the most unsung heroes in the show’s production. What they do transcends acting into a weird form of postmodern art that not even the snobbiest of film critics could understand. With things like Billy’s shield, the body language necessary to communicate is extremely difficult on a sublime level.

I’m kicking myself for totally missing this, because it’s been uploaded since February. But big thanks to Jeff Pruitt for sharing all this wonderful stuff. I speak for all the so-called “’90s kids” when I say this is fucking awesome. You can see more cool stuff, including a look into the making of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, on Pruit’s channel here.

Amy Jo Johnson, Original Pink Ranger, Open For A Role in New ‘Power Rangers’ Movie

by Eric Francisco

Full disclosure: The video below is from Power Rangers fan blog No Pink Spandex, which is run and operated by a friend of mine, Lisa. I helped her film footage of Amy Jo Johnson performing at New York City’s The Bitter End.

In a new video series from No Pink Spandex, which will showcase artists pursuing current projects outside of Power Rangers, Amy Jo Johnson opens up about going to her first convention at this past Lexington Comic-Con and performing at The Bitter End in New York for the first time in ten years. The one thing that’s lighting the internet on fire, however, is that she admitted she would be open to a role — whether it’s starring or a cameo — in the upcoming Power Rangers movie from Lionsgate.

Literally nothing else except the title, the screenwriters, and the fact that one of the biggest-name producers left is known about the new Power Rangers film, so understand that Amy Jo hasn’t been offered a role that we are aware of. Or anyone else from the original cast. I’m sure there have been calls to the Jason David Frank estate once or twice, but who knows.

Amy Jo Johnson made a comeback in the pubic consciousness this past weekend when she performed on a street corner in Toronto, busking in a Pink Ranger costume. Don’t worry, it was not a depressing episode of a one-hit wonder on hard times. It was in fact, a celebration. Fellow Power Rangers co-star David Yost dared Amy to perform in the outfit should she meet her fundraising goal for her first feature film, The Space Between, which led to the internet going bananas.

Amy Jo’s career post-Power Rangers has been varied, nabbing leading roles in television dramas like Felicity and Flashpoint and carving out her name in independent music and film. She clearly has a passion for the arts, often making personalized videos of her singing to fans who pledge her film projects. Welcome to 2014, where your childhood crush will sing to you over the internet.

I’m excited and happy for Amy Jo. I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting her yet — after filming at The Bitter End, she was swarmed by fans so I couldn’t even shake her hand — but not only does she seem to be happy, she’s given the opportunity to make art that she wants. Not many people have the privilege to say that. Furthermore, she’s a woman director. Hollywood is devoid of the female perspective, so if a former Power Ranger wants to blaze a trail, I will totally support her.

I for one would absolutely be welcome to seeing Amy Jo Johnson back for Power Rangers, if only briefly. What say you?