Tag: Power Rangers

Calling All Artists: Submit a ‘Power Rangers’ T-Shirt Design For WeLoveFine!

by Eric Francisco

Yesterday was the 22nd anniversary of Power Rangers! I know, I’m Geekscape’s resident Rangers expert and I missed my chance to say something. I’m ashamed. But in my defense, it’s 22 years. If Power Rangers were a person they’re already legally allowed to drink. Fun’s over. Quarter-life crisis is settling in.

But to celebrate 22 years like Taylor Swift, Power Rangers and WeLoveFine are holding a second contest in honor of the franchise! If you’re an artist looking to get your work out there, get your creative juices flowing. From WeLoveFine:

Go Go designers! Now is the time for you to POWER UP your design idea for an awesome Power Rangers t-shirt with WeLoveFine’s second Power Rangers design contest! This contest is launching THIS FRIDAY on August 28th, which is the same day the Power Rangers originally launched 22 years ago (wow!). We are offering you the chance to not only win some amazing prizes, but to have your design made into official Power Rangers merchandise that will be available on our site! We are so excited to see your original artwork inspired by the characters, seasons and storylines from the Power Rangers’ history – from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers up through Power Rangers Dino Charge!

Submissions open from 12:01am PST August 28th, 2015 until 11:59pm PST September 25, 2015

Power Rangers is pretty rich with material to play with, there’s 22 years worth of stuff to tinker. Poke around the whole franchise, not just Mighty Morphin’, and see what could inspire the next hot shirt geeks will rock at Comic-Con.

Shout Factory! Unveils ‘Gosei Sentai Dairanger’ DVD Cover

by Eric Francisco

Shout! Factory did the impossible earlier this year when they released Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger, the original 1992 Super Sentai series that Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers was adapted from, to foreign shores. It was the first American release of a Super Sentai and it was a time to be alive.

Well it’s time to stay alive for another round. Announced back at San Diego Comic-Con, Shout! will be releasing 1993’s Gosei Sentai Dairanger — from which the fabled White Ranger hails from — and they’ve unleashed the DVD cover to go with it.

https://twitter.com/RangerCrew/status/633368186897960960

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Looks exactly like something that came out in 1993! The colors are gaudy and mismatched. Yup, that was the ’90s.

Like the Zyuranger set last year, they’ve got the actors front and center but have noticeably omitted any neat shots of the (fugly) Dairanger costumes. This year it makes sense, no one except the hardcore fans recognize the Dairanger costumes, but last year they didn’t feature the Zyuranger costumes and that was pretty questionable. They don’t even have the White Ranger costume, and having him would be an instant “The hell is this?” from lesser-informed parties.

Then again, you don’t see these sets at Target. No one shopping at Target gives a damn, only fans in convention halls and shopping online so the paying customers already know what they’re looking for.

It goes without saying, but clearly there is a demand for these DVD sets here on western shores. If you have Zyuranger and Dairanger sitting in your hard drives, delete them and buy these DVDs. These are a dream come true and we as fans, who demanded these for fucking years, need to make good on our rage-filled keyboard strokes and buy these.

Oh, one last thing: Did you ever buy the Zyuranger DVD? I’m in it!

https://instagram.com/p/zl3ZxLgN2T/?taken-by=ericthedragon

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!

‘Power Rangers Dino Charge’ Returning to TV Sooner Than Previously Announced

by Eric Francisco

I’m currently away for my sister’s wedding and planned on not writing anything, but I was called back to action when I was given the news: Power Rangers Dino Charge will return on Nickelodeon on August 22, at 12 pm ET. That’s a whole week earlier than what we were told at Comic-Con.

And along with this announcement is a brand-new trailer for your eyeballs.

I remember how great sports the Dino Charge cast were in San Diego. They repeated “August 29th, at 11 am” like drones, slyly letting us know how important but tiresome promotion can be. I’m trying to speculate what caused the bump. Are they trying to burn off the episodes quicker to keep the show’s ratings going? Would a week later really kill buzz?

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.

SDCC 2015: The Cast of ‘Power Rangers Dino Charge’ Want Lightsabers, a Team Up With Khaleesi and ‘Arrow’

by Eric Francisco

Power Rangers Dino Charge has been kicking butt.

Under the leadership and direction of Chip Lynn and its charismatic, electric cast to captivate you, Power Rangers is finally a show worth getting excited about again. It’s smart, compelling, riveting, and most of all, entertaining. If I had a son, daughter, or even a little nephew (Actually I do, but he’s too into Call of Duty to care) we would easily bond over Dino Charge. It’s been a true return to form of what makes Power Rangers great without cheaply aping Mighty Morphin’ or anything that came before it.

At the “Power Lounge,” a luxurious space across the San Diego Convention Center decorated to the brim with Power Rangers merchandise and collectibles, the cast of Power Rangers Dino Charge were hanging out and having the time of their lives. The whole gang was there: Brennan Meija (Tyler, the Red Ranger), Camille Hyde (Shelby, the Pink Ranger and the franchise’s first African-American girl to wear pink), Yoshi Sudarso (Koda, the Blue Ranger and dyed-in-the-wool Power Rangers fan), Michael Tarber (Riley, the Green Ranger), James Davies (Chase, the Black Ranger) and Claire Blackwelder (Kendall, the Rangers’ aide, like Alpha 5 but way cuter).

While sipping on a “super charged” lemonade sorbet… thing… that the lounge staff were serving, I sat down with the cast of Dino Charge to get the scoop on some curious happenings on the show and to find out, once and for all, is Kendall going to finally morph? She totally will. Right?

Credit: Paula Gaetos of The Tokusatsu Network.
Credit: Paula Gaetos of The Tokusatsu Network.

First of all, welcome to Comic-Con. How has it been for you guys so far?

James Davies: It’s been great, so much fun.

Camille Hyde: It’s been really fun. It’s our first time here, so it’s pretty overwhelming, but in the best way. It’s kind of like an adult Disneyland. All of the people here, all of the fans, are kind of like young kids again, seeing all of their superheroes.

About that, because geek culture has just gotten so big, everyone’s really into it. Are you surprised by how older the audience could skew for Power Rangers even though it’s still a kids’ show?

Brennan Meija: We’re still fans, so, not really. We grew up watching it, and still watch it.

Yoshi Sudarso: I can see that it’s been more accepted recently because I used to watch Super Sentai and all that other stuff, but I never knew, although my friends that did, but now as it’s coming out, it’s like, “Oh, bro, you’re a Ranger!” Then he’s like, “I love Super Sentai” I was like, “Me too!” We have to talking about it. So many of my friends are into Super Sentai but none of us talk about it. Except for *FBR, obviously. It’s really interesting to see all of that.”

*(FBR is “Facebook Rangers,” the largest community of Power Rangers fans on Facebook.)

How much have your expectations changed from when you started the show to now?

Camille Hyde: I think going in, for us, at first, in the beginning of the season there was a lot of heart, it was very action filled, but going towards the end of the first season and going into Dino Super Charge, it gets pretty intense. So it’s very appealing to not only young kids, but also older adults too, because it’s gotten kind of gritty, and that’s awesome because it’s so much more real.

Michael Tarber: Yeah, the exposition’s been laid out, so now it’s time for the bang bang bang finish, see what happens.

Talk to me about your characters guys, individually. What kind of changes can we expect through their return this season?

Yoshi Sudarso: Koda’s going to eat more burgers and speak a little faster. [laughs]

Camille Hyde: He starts speaking, yeah. [laughs] He gets a little more fluent. He does. Shelby in the beginning she was a little insecure about knowing how smart she was and how she was competent and could keep up with the guys, like in episode one, she didn’t know if she could go off and fight monsters. Towards the end, she starts helping Tyler lead the team, and she starts to feel more grounded with her abilities.

Brennan Meija: Tyler starts off pretty goofy in the beginning. There’s still that element there, of course, as the season goes on, and we enter the second season, as well. I think there’s a level of a serious tone that starts to play within him as the fight gets more real, the stakes get higher, he’s still searching for his dad, as well. All those elements make for a more overall rounded and serious character who is there, not only to find his dad but to lead a team to save the world.

I’m  hearing this a lot. We may not get a full-blown “serious” Power Rangers, but are we really going to see a hard-hitting show. Is that really true?

Camille Hyde: Yeah, it is.

Michael Tarber: We wanted to swing from the fences from the very beginning. That’s been all of our goals, including our EP, Chip, and we from the beginning have always wanted to take a chance and go for as great of a show as we could possibly get. I didn’t want to say good, because we want to go great. Totally.

Claire, if you don’t mind me digging in a little bit, will we see Kendall morph in the future at all?

Claire Blackwelder: Kendall has a lot of things coming up for her that are very exciting, but she has a lot on her plate with the Ranger base, right now. As far as changes that you can see with Kendall, she’s going to lighten up in some ways and toughen up in others, and you just got to be excited to see what happens with her.

Yoshi Sudarso: Like I said yesterday in the panel, she’s not Cam. She’s not going to just make a duplicate of herself. [laughs] We need someone to hold the base down!

It’s funny you mention that. Yoshi, you’re kind of like the David Tennant of Power Rangers.  You were the super fan who ended up living his wildest dreams. Have the fans treated you any differently since you’ve been on the show?

Yoshi Sudarso: Since I knew a lot of the fans before a lot of this started, most of them are still my friends. It’s not like I’m going to treat them any differently. We still hang out, we still talk Ranger stuff, I’m still on FBR talking about the things, so I just do my own thing. I think it’s really cool that they are treating me as a Ranger, and it’s less jealousy, more admiration and wanting to push them a little bit harder. I was afraid that it would be [bad]. Sometimes that is how the world is with fandoms, but I think it was received very well and I’m super happy about it.

So, what do you guys nerd over? Did you see it here at Comic-Con?

Brennan Meija: The CW [shows]! The Flash and Arrow. Oh my God. I want to get on those shows so badly! We should do a crossover.

Michael Tarber: Star Wars. I’m so obsessed!

Camille Hyde: Yeah, I love Star Wars.

Michael Tarber: I am so excited! People were hating on the new lightsaber. I actually think it’s pretty cool.

I think it’s badass.

Michael Tarber: I think it’s totally cool. I’m so happy that J.J. Abrams is taking over the franchise, and they’re filming with film, so it’s a real gritty look. I love everything that I’ve seen so far. I’m disappointed I had to miss the Lucasfilm panel this afternoon. I’m sure I can watch it somewhere online. Definitely Star Wars.

James Davies: Like Brandon, I’ve just gotten into the Arrow TV series. I’m a little bit late into it, but it’s seriously inspiring. Obviously The Flash is great as well. His [Grant Gustin’s] acting as well is just so natural and it’s really inspiring to people so I love it.

Claire Blackwelder: Well, the things that I nerd out over are Tolstoy, classical piano, and Shakespeare. I don’t think I’m going to see that here. [laughs]

If you look hard enough, you can.

Claire Blackwelder: Really? We’re going to have to talk after this because I got to find some of that! [laughs]

Camille Hyde: I’m a huge Star Wars fan as well, so I can’t wait to see Episode 7! I think it’s going to be amazing. I’m also a huge Hunger Games fan, so today when I was hearing about some of the fans coming to get our autographs, [they were] talking about going to see the Hunger Games people, I freaked out. I was like, “Where are they?” [laughs] I’m going to take someone out to go find them!

Michael Tarber: It was a crazy thought to think that an Oscar winner, Jennifer Lawrence, was signing autographs ten feet behind us.

Camille Hyde: I was like, “Excuse me, do you mind if I slip away to go to the bathroom?”

Claire Blackwelder: Oh! Game of Thrones!

(At this point there is massive crosstalk among the cast due to their fandom and love for Game of Thrones, making it difficult to transcribe. It was hard to tell who was saying what.)

Can we talk about how crazy this last season was?

Yoshi Sudarso: Wait wait wait! I haven’t seen the last season.

OK, then. Without spoiling or mentioning you-know-what, what did you guys think? What was your emotional feeling? Loss, anger…

Michael Tarber: I don’t know if I’ve accepted it. I’m in denial. It’s the first step of the grieving process, that’s what I’ll say.

So going off of that and the whole Comic-Con experience: In a world of possibilities, if Power Rangers can cross over with anything, what would you want to cross over with?

Brennan Meija: DC. Justice League. All the way.

Really?

Brennan Meija: Yeah, going against Darkseid? Are you kidding me? That’d be great!

Camille Hyde: Yeah, it’d be pretty epic.

Michael Tarber: I’m just saying, if Riley could trade in his Dino Saber for a Jedi lightsaber…

Camille Hyde: Ohhh!

Michael Tarber: That would be pretty cool! Maybe a Darth Maul-like double-sided green saber.

Yoshi Sudarso: It ain’t too far fetched to go into Marvel. I mean, we already got Leopardon on there, we might as well get the Rangers on there. Stan Lee, if you’re listening, we need to get on this and bring Leopardon back in, you know what I’m saying? [laughs] We could have the Megazord on there.

James Davies: Arrow all the way, man.

Michael Tarber: Yeah, like a cool “Ranger Arrow,” or something like that.

And Claire, I assume you’re with Game of Thrones?

Claire Blackwelder: Oh yeah.

Yoshi Sudarso: Oh, that’d be tight!

Brennan Meija: Fighting the dragons?

Michael Tarber: If Khaleesi could somehow come and become a Power Ranger, I would not… A dragon zord? I wouldn’t complain if she was part of our team.

Credit: Paula Gaetos of The Tokusatsu Network.
Credit: Paula Gaetos of The Tokusatsu Network.

On Instagram, there was a post from the Power Rangers account saying, “The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers will crossover with the Power Rangers Dino Charge!” We didn’t hear anything else. What’s the story behind that?

Camille Hyde: I don’t know.

Yoshi Sudarso: I think it’s just talking about how people want the three dinosaur teams to meet up, just like the Sentai. I guess you guys will have to find out if that’ll happen or not.

Camille Hyde: Yeah. If fans want it, you may never know!

Michael Tarber: Part of the magic of the creativity that the fans bring to the franchise.

Any last words about Power Rangers and what we can expect this season?

Camille Hyde: You’re going to see some new Rangers, you’re going to see some new villains, and new powers. You’re going to have to tune in.

Michael Tarber: The stakes are raised…

Brennan, Camille, Yoshi, James, Michael, and Claire: On August 29th at noon on Nickelodeon!

Wait, August 28th at 11 am?

[group laugh]

Is that it?

Brennan Meija: Yes! Yes!

Yoshi Sudarso: Yes, that’s perfect. You got it.

Power Rangers Dino Charge returns on August 29th at noon on Nickelodeon. I think. Special thanks to Paula Gaetos of The Tokusatsu Network for taking the photos!

SDCC 2015: Judd Lynn, ‘Power Rangers Dino Charge’ Executive Producer, Finally Has His Way

by Eric Francisco

When you grow up obsessed with pop culture, you begin to recognize the names that aren’t that of the stars. Hip-hop fans know names like Rick Rubin or Erick Sermon. Sports nuts know the coaches and agents of the superstars on the field. As a Power Rangers fan, I grew up knowing names like Doug Sloan, Jonathan Tzachor, and Koichi Sakamoto.

But one man’s name inspires Power Rangers fans like Steve Wozniak with Apple fans (or Jobs (no, actually, Wozniak is correct)): Judd “Chip” Lynn.

A real chip off the old block, Judd Lynn began as a staff writer on Power Rangers Turbo. He took on the reins as show runner in 1998 for Power Rangers in Space until 2001’s Power Rangers Time Force.

If only people watched his work.

Let’s be honest: Mighty Morphin’ was the  peak of the franchise’s pop culture status. But the reason why you may know a hardcore Power Rangers fan or two still watching today is because they stuck around for Judd Lynn’s seasons; he made the show as deep as any other sci-fi or fantasy. In Space, Lost Galaxy, Lightspeed Rescue, and Time Force are loaded with some of the most compelling, interesting characters and episodes in not just Power Rangers but all geek TV. If the rest of the world stuck around to watch Lynn at work, Power Rangers wouldn’t be the campy laughingstock its mostly remembered as.

Judd Lynn returned briefly to oversee the absolutely incredible Power Rangers RPM (seriously, watch it, it’s on Netflix) in 2009 before leaving once again… until the 2014 Power MorphiCon. There, Judd Lynn took to the stage at the convention to announce his return to the helm for Power Rangers Dino Charge to the delight of everyone. I remember that energy distinctly because I was there, and so far that positivity has been validated: Dino Charge rocks, and if you have a little cousin or nephew (or niece! Dino Charge is a great kid’s show featuring kick-ass girls) you should absolutely watch with them.

At this past San Diego Comic-Con, I had the chance to speak to Chip about his role as the returning prodigal son of Power Rangers.

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Interviewing Judd Lynn at the Power Lounge during San Diego Comic-Con. Credit: Paula Gaetos.

What’s it been like for you to return as the head-honcho of Power Rangers?

Judd: What’s really unique about my involvement this time, because it used to be there was I worked with a couple of producers, and we had kind of different ways, different ideas of how it was supposed to happen. Now, being the executive producer, it’s kind of just my way. You know what I’m saying? The people that I work with, [Saban Brands Senior VP of Development and Production] Brian Casetini, he and I are really in sync. It used to be like this [hands out], and now it’s like this [crosses fingers].

What do you think has changed?

Judd Lynn: When you have several producers on a show, you can either have synchronicity, or it can be a negative effect. It can either be additive or subtractive. I think previously, it was probably … me and other producers and we’d have a different style. You hope sometimes one producer plus another producer equals three, right? That’s how good ratios are made. They’re never made by one person. They’re made by one person in a team that shares that same vision and it turns out that vision, instead of just two people working on it, it has the effect of one hundred people because they all become passionate and they’re all focused on the same goal.

Coming back, I can work with Brian Casetini and also Haim Saban. Truly, those three minds put together equal five. In the past, three minds used to total three. There was no exponential growth because of the synchronicity of our ideas. But now, there is. Brian shares my enthusiasm and my way of storytelling. The first time that I pitched the idea for Dino Charge to Haim, it was a crazy idea. A story about a spaceship and we have these dinosaurs and we have asteroids. I’m sitting down in this fancy boardroom with Haim Saban and some other executives and I start to tell my story. Two minutes into it, I’m looking at them, and they’re all still awake. That’s not always the case. I remember one time with Saban, I pitched an idea to twenty executives and ten minutes in, half of them were asleep. That was, I think, maybe, Power Rangers in Space. I think it was because they were overworked. [laughs] Hopefully not because it was a bad idea.

Really? Power Rangers in Space rocked!

Judd: But this time, Haim was riveted. Brian was riveted. [Saban President] Elie Decker was riveted. They all were very enthusiastic about the idea. Haim, after I told the whole thing, said, “I like it.” Everybody kind of was shocked because Haim doesn’t usually say that the first time. But, he liked it very much. He liked the idea of a caveman. He liked the idea of these inner gems that made you immortal while you were binded to them. We were able to take all of the Japanese footage, which were some really strange elements, and put them all into a story that worked. Space elements and dinosaur elements, and it wasn’t easy, but I think we kind of did a pretty good job of making it work.

Then, what’s really cool is Haim Saban and Brian Castletini, who were really busy with other things, they say, “Okay, great. Go away and let us know how the story’s going to unfold.” I knew, like, “Eh, no problem,” and inside, you’re thinking “Oh my God, how am I going to make that happen?” Right?

As if that’s easy!

Judd: You go away and you start to work out your first idea and this is it right here. This is the first episode. This is almost exactly what I pitched. It didn’t change very much. It was an idea about a real alien who’s being chased by this evil bounty hunter. He lands on this earth and he has these inner gems and he has to get them to safety quickly. Sure enough, it all appears on the screen now. It’s an awesome process.

Not like before? It was very different before?

Judd: Well, before it was a bit of a struggle. I had an idea and somebody else had an idea and we had to compromise with each other to reach something that we both agreed was going to be do-able.

Compromise is kind of a nasty thing. Now, I’m in charge. I don’t have to compromise. The writers have to compromise. Anyone who works for me has to compromise. But I don’t have to. I can take my idea and I can take it to Brian and take it to Haim and say “This is what I want to do.” They’ll say, “Well, maybe adjust this,” or “Adjust that,” but they’ve been really really deferential to me, which is a blessing. It’s because we started off already thinking in the same way. They say, “Hey, that’s cool. That’s great.” Or they say, “What about this?” Or “What about that?” They have great ideas. I say, “You know what? I didn’t think of that.” It makes it even better. That’s what I want. That’s what we want.

And isn’t that what the Power Rangers are about? Teamwork?

Judd: Exactly. That’s what it’s all about.

Not to sound hokey there.

Judd: No, but it’s absolutely true. If you go to New Zealand, we have 120 people on our 2 crews. We have a first unit and a second unit. 120 people. You walk on, and you never – It’s unbelievable. It’s like a family. You never hear an argument. There’s never backstabbing. The people came to me and they said this is like one of the first seasons there’s never been a culture of he-said she-said or blaming or unhappiness or ‘Why are you late?’

Everybody’s been optimistic and proactive and really pushed into doing, into making great episodes because they’ve read their scripts and they saw me on the set and they could tell that I cared about it. From the top down, everybody else says “You know what? Wow. This is worth caring about.” Next thing you know, they’ll go in extra. “We should wrap now.” Nope. They’ll go 15 more minutes. “Don’t do another take.” No, no no. We’re going to do another take. We’re going to get it right.

You said something very interesting there, that people care. Not to throw shade at whoever has worked on the show before, but fans have noticed an uptick in the quality in the show. Fans are very enthusiastic about Power Rangers more than they’ve ever been before. Is it because of that factor, that x-factor? There’s a little more heart.

Judd: You know what? It has a lot – First of all, Haim Saban has always demanded humor and heart.

Of course.

Judd: He wants stories that will tug at your heartstrings and make you laugh. He wants them to appeal to the 4 to 8 year olds that are actually watching it for the first time and he wants it to appeal to kids who are 18 to 30, like you and me. Well, I’m a little older than you. [laughs] But, he wants it to appeal to everybody. That’s a really tough request.

To say the least.

Judd: Yet, somehow, we try to do it. Now, why are some seasons more successful than others? Probably the largest factor is just the person who’s in charge. But that’s not the only factor. There’s a lot of other ones. For instance we [had to adapt] Kyoryuger, which was a fantastic season. We had dinosaurs, they have great Zords, they have great toy elements. It really was kind of a … I hate to say it, but I got very fortunate because dinosaurs are always more successful than other ones. Kids just love dinosaurs.

You guys picked a great year. Jurassic World just came out.

Judd: Right, exactly. It’s kind of a perfect storm of things that worked out really well. I happen to be fortunate enough to be there. But also, like I said, it comes back to that team. If you have people who make the team better than it would be as individuals, then it’s going to work out better. It just turns out that my storytelling style is different than the previous producer and the guy before him and the guy before him. It’s different than Doug Sloan, and Bruce Kalish, and Eddie Guzelian, and Jonathan Tzachor. Every single one of them, I know. Every single one of them was in the office at midnight and they all tried to make the best show they can, but not everybody can make a perfect show and not everybody can even make a great show. Some of my seasons were not great. Sometimes you get really tough footage and it’s hard to come up with a story. Really hard.

It’s very different way to produce television.

Judd: It’s a really weird way.

You’ll never see a show like Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones being made this way.

Judd: Well, nobody would, because we have that footage to deal with. We have toys to sell and we have a broad age range of audience to appeal to. It’s a really tough order.

IMG_9581
Interviewing Judd Lynn at the Power Lounge during San Diego Comic-Con. Credit: Paula Gaetos.

Are you by any chance privy to the upcoming movie in 2017?

Judd: I don’t know much about the movie. Honestly, I’m at the office twelve hours a day, seven days a week working on Dino Charge. I just hope that, like everybody, we all hope that they keep in mind that humor and heart and that action that’s all organic to the story. I can tell you that the people who are involved in it are some of the best in the business. Lionsgate and Brian, these guys have been doing it for a long time. I have high hopes that this is going to be a really good movie.

Other than that, I don’t know too much. I know that Haim is really involved, really enthused about [Dean Israelite] being the director and his enthusiasm.

Will we see you again for after Super Dino Charge? What can we hope for in the future?

Judd: We just finished filming Dino Super Charge, and it’s going to be really good. There are some episodes that are coming up that will be the best of any episodes that have ever been done with Power Rangers. I know a lot of the episodes, and I’ve written a couple hundred of them, and I can tell you that I’ve never been as enthusiastic about the entire season as I am about these seasons.

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

Power Rangers Dino Charge returns to Nickelodeon on August 29th. Stay tuned to Geekscape for my interview with the cast of Power Rangers Dino Charge from San Diego Comic-Con later this week. A special thank you to Paula Gaetos of Tokusatsu Network for taking the photos!

‘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?

‘Project Almanac’ Director Dean Israelite In Talks To Helm ‘Power Rangers’

by Derek Kraneveldt

IT’S MORPHIN’ TIME.

Well, in 15 months. Which means that Lionsgate really needs to get moving on production, which starts with them finding actors (and a director). The film founds its writers back in July of last year, and TheWrap has learned that Project Almanac director Dean Israelite has entered negotiations to direct the anticipated film.

Project Almanac has to be one of the most original films that I’ve seen this year, dealing with a high school student and his friends, who uncover blueprints for a mysterious device with limitless potential, inadvertently putting lives in danger. It did a fantastic job of showcasing what real people would likely do with a time machine, and it featured a cast of unknowns whose chemistry really made Project Almanac memorable. It seemed to slip under the radar of most, but I’d definitely recommend giving it a shot.

Israelite has also been tapped to direct a WarGames reboot.

How would you feel about Dean in the director’s chair? I feel like an up-and-comer with a history of working with (and making a film for) youth can only be good for a Power Rangers film. Unless you want it to look like the BOOTLEG UNIVERSE version.

Geekscape Interviews: Adi Shankar, Producer of ‘The Voices’ on Trying to Be Different

by Eric Francisco

Adi Shankar broke the internet this year.

Last February, the hotshot Hollywood producer Adi Shankar released the Joseph Kahn-directed POWER/RANGERS, a short film that satirized Hollywood reboot culture and modern geek cinema. As if to validate our childhood mythologies in adulthood, today’s gritty hero zeitgeist demands our karate-kicking space ninjas to strap on gun-metal armor and shoot up a room of North Korean gangsters. What Transformers and The Dark Knight did for robots and a guy running around in a bat costume, POWER/RANGERS did and it did it with a smirk and porn stars in the back ground.

But does that mean Adi, who grew up a nerd and loved Power Rangers as a kid, isn’t excited for the upcoming 2016 movie? You’d be surprised.

“Yeah! Yeah! I’m a fan, man.”

Just a few words can say so much.

Even before POWER/RANGERS, Adi built his name as a producer for films like Main Street and Machine Gun Preacher before reaching to prominence with The Grey (starring Liam Neeson) and the neo cult-classic Dredd. In between, Adi channels his childhood lore into “bootleg” online films that crank up the subjects’ darker aspects up to eleven. These films, featuring comic book characters like Punisher (Punisher: Dirty Laundry) and Venom (Truth in Journalism) are frequently shared amongst nerd blogs the morning they’re uploaded.

But POWER/RANGERS is now in the past, and today comes The Voices. Directed by Persepolis author Marjane Satrapi, it is now available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital HD. The extremely — and I mean extremely — dark comedy revolves around Jerry (Ryan Reynolds, whom Adi expresses excitement that he’s got Deadpool in his movie), a totally nice, unassuming guy that suffers from severe hallucinations that lead to deadly consequences.

TheVoices_SKEWS_BDThe Voices is a slight departure from your previous productions, like The Grey and Dredd. What was it like to tread new territory?

Adi: It wasn’t really different, because we didn’t think we were making a comedy. I always looked at it as a genre-bender, and I actually don’t even look at it as a comedy. I look at it as kind of amalgamation of several genres. You’ve got moments where it feels like a psychological thriller, moments where it feels like a horror movie … and even in horror, it feels like it’s skirting the edge between psychological and slasher.

There are moments where it feels like a pure drama, and there are moments that are certainly comedic. So, it really wasn’t any different. I think everything else I’ve done has been heavily macho, heavy heavy macho. Marjane [the director] brought a feminine sensibility to it, and that was different.

What would you describe as the most difficult thing in bringing this particular project to life?

Adi: It’s just not a down-the-middle movie. It’s a lot easier to make a movie where it’s like, “Okay, the movie is about X. And it’s a dude and he needs to get a hundred-thousand dollars in five minutes,” and, you know, the more simple the movie is the easier it [can get] made. [The Voices] is a headier concept, it’s a marketing challenge, it was a challenge on every level. This was probably the most difficult exercises in assembling a film. And I’m an actor in it, that was kind of terrifying.

So it’s 2015 and I can use the term “break the internet.” You broke the internet earlier this year with POWER/RANGERS. Did you expect it to generate the buzz that it did?

Adi: No.

Not at all?

Adi: No, I didn’t. I can’t tell. I can never tell. I didn’t realize The Grey would be a mainstream success, and I didn’t realize Dredd would be a cult success. It’s kind of like, when you’re putting things together and thinking about it in your head, and you’re coming up with… I had this concept where I wanted to do The Crow, do a “bootleg” The Crow as a kind of gothic neo-noir, but filmed with a European sensibility, think Nicolas Refn’s Only God Forgives, right?

I’d love to see that. Holy shit.

Adi: I have no idea how that’s going to be received or how it’s going to do, right? But at the end of the day, I don’t give a fuck. I just don’t. The moment you do that, you’re not making art anymore. You’re just pandering. But [with] The Voices, I always looked at it like a bootleg film.

How so?

Adi: It’s bootleg Garfield.

I had that in my notes. “Garfield from hell.”

Adi: Yeah! That’s literally how I envisioned it. I envisioned it like a Garfield bootleg. With Ryan Reynolds playing [his] Deadpool.

What was Saban’s reaction to POWER/RANGERS? Again, as a huge Power Rangers fan, Saban is like this mythical figure no one can really reach out to.

Adi: I’m probably not supposed to talk about that. [laughs]

https://vimeo.com/120401488
Your productions have had a punk rock edge, you just described it as “macho.” What did people think when you wanted to do your take on Power Rangers?

Adi: Not a whole lot of people knew about that [beforehand]. I didn’t really talk to anyone about it. [But] I was so passionate when I did talk about it. I was describing it to a friend in India, and he was laughing about it when I was talking about it. And then he sent me an email after he saw it, months later. “I didn’t really get it, but I thought it was awesome.” I was like, what do you mean you didn’t get it? I described it to you. He was like, “Yeah I didn’t really know what you were talking about it then either but you were so passionate.”

So it was a case of having to see it to believe it?

Adi: It’s weird coming out of my mouth because I just turned 30, but just seven years ago, anything I said was just weird. I’m at a point now where people are like, “I don’t know if this thing might become a thing. So, uh, we’re just gonna agree and nod and say yeah.” I had the same reaction when I was like, “I wanna do Dredd again.”

There’s actually been a lot of talk about whether or not Dredd 2 could happen. A lot of signs are pointing no. Do you think we’ll ever see Dredd 2?

Adi: No comment. But watch Superfiend. Everybody watch Superfiend.

You’ve assembled quite the talent for The Voices, with Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, and Anna Kendrick. Were they onboard immediately to the project?

Adi: Everyone was pretty much onboard kind of immediately. I think it’s more for Marjane Satrapi.

Did your vision clash at all with Marjane’s?

Adi: No, we were on the same page the whole time. We openly talked about that. This kind of deviates from my mantra thing [about mach], but it wasn’t a clash at all. There’s a lot of pink in the movie! I’ve always wanted to do a movie with a lot of pink in it! No joke! Pink is one of my favorite colors. I know I wear a black all the time and with my facepaint, but pink is one of my favorite colors.

So that’s why the Pink Ranger was such a central figure in POWER/RANGERS?

Adi: Yeah! Yeah! I’m sad I couldn’t get Orlando to be it, but yeah.

I have to ask again since I am Geekscape’s resident Power Rangers guy, but are you excited for the movie?

Adi: Yeah! Yeah, I’m a fan man.

What do you hope audiences take away from The Voices? Not necessarily any moral messages, but what do you hope is embraced about the film?

Adi: In an era where movies have become homogenous and movies have basically become Happy Meals, I hope in time people realize that dared to be different. If you look through my filmography both online and not online, I just tried to be different and [The Voices] is that. And Ryan Reynolds is Deadpool now, so if you like Deadpool, watch it.

The Voices is out now on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital HD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IaPaB4Pzqk

4-Year-Old Finishes Cancer Radiation Treatment, Meets the Power Rangers

by Eric Francisco

I’ve spent close to thirteen years as an active participant in the Power Rangers fandom. You don’t spend that much time on message forums and conventions without seeing heavy does of stupidity from overgrown man children complaining about collecting toys. Despite my love for the show, my opinions on its fans are often low. I always see the annoyance on actors’ faces at conventions.

But there are times when being a Power Rangers fan can be the best thing in the world.

4-year-old Aiden Lopez has just completed radiation treatments and will soon be undergoing chemotherapy. His doctors are hopeful and his prognosis appears positive. So everyone felt it was right for Aiden to meet some of his favorite superheroes: the Power Rangers!

Actually, they were cosplayers, in some damn good looking outfits that can rival what was used in the series. Former Power Rangers alum Steve Cardenas (“Rocky” the second Red Ranger) chimed in on Facebook this morning.

Screen Shot 2015-03-27 at 10.17.45 AM

Way to go Aiden. You deserve to be happy.

Way to go, Power Rangers fans. You escape my wrath for the day.

(Source: FOX 35 News Orlando)

‘Shuriken Sentai Ninninger’ Episode Previews Reveal Return of TWO Veteran Red Rangers!

by Eric Francisco

I haven’t been watching Ninninger as much as I originally wanted to, but I loved the pilot and the rest of the episodes I have saved for a rainy day. No really, that’s when I like to binge-watch.

On a Tumblr fan blog this morning, it was revealed in a few episode previews that Teruaki Ogawa and Shun Shioya, who portrayed “Sasuke” in Ninja Sentai Kakuranger and “Yousuke” in Ninpu Sentai Hurricanger respectively will be reprising their roles in the current Super Sentai series!

tumblr_nlnrhqaOfl1u21bnqo1_1280

From shurikensentai:

Here are Ninninger’s episode summaries for April. The scan states that all titles are tentative. What’s interesting is that we’ll be getting some special guests in the seventh episode!

 

(April 5th) Episode 6: “Ninjutsu Midterm Exam!”
Summary: During the re-test, it’s Takaharu versus the other four! But Fuuka gets captured!?

 

(April 12th) Episode 7: “Emissaries From the Past”
Summary: Tsumuji brings in Ninja Red and Hurricane Red to teach the Ninningers.

 

(April 19th) Episode 8: “Brother and Sister”
Summary: Nagi and Fuuka enroll in high school.

 

(April 26th) Episode 9: “Star Assassin”
Summary: “The end of shuriken”, Yakumo’s Mother…

This is somewhat unprecedented. Not counting Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger in which the very premise was the return of veterans, this will be the first time a team-up will occur within the main series. Team-ups between rookie and veteran teams have occurred almost every year, and in recent years with the Super Hero Taisen blockbusters it’s amazing all of Japan hasn’t run out of spandex. But they always happened in separate movies, because the novelty of seeing the teams interact is enough of an attraction on its own.

But to have a team-up, and so early in Ninninger‘s run? Exciting!

Let us know if you know literally ANYTHING I said above in the comments!

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.

Watch Two Clips From Next Week’s iZombie Premiere!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Hankering for more iZombie after reading Eric’s fantastic interview with the show’s Executive Producer Diane Ruggiero-Wright?

The CW has just released not one, but TWO clips from next week’s series premiere. The first clip features Liv meeting Clive, while the second features Liv chatting with another zombie.

In the series, “A med student-turned-zombie takes a job in the coroner’s office to gain access to the brains she must reluctantly eat to maintain her humanity, but with each brain she consumes, she inherits the corpse’s memories. With the help of her medical examiner boss and a police detective, she solves homicide cases in order to quiet the disturbing voices in her head.”

Take a look at the clips below and let us know if you’re excited! iZombie premieres on March 17th!

https://youtu.be/Ydm-hgYMT_Q

https://youtu.be/viv8YooQUQ8

First Look at ‘Knights of the Round Table’ That’s Premiering Against ‘Power Rangers’

by Eric Francisco

You know me, I’ll do anything to mention Lionsgate’s upcoming Power Rangers feature film set for July 22, 2016. Know what else is premiering that date? Guy Ritchie’s Knights of the Round Table, which Warner Bros. has plans to turn into a franchise spanning SIX movies. What happened to the good, old-fashioned trilogy?

Here’s a bite-sized preview straight from Ritchie’s Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/realguyritchie/status/575398577796612096

Well, it certainly looks like what you’d think a King Arthur movie to look like. Yay? (Side note: I misspelled “King Arthur” two seconds ago into “Kung Arthur” and now I want a kung-fu fighting King Arthur more than anything.)

Between Joseph Kahn’s Power/Rangers and now my bae-equivalent of bombastic filmmaking Guy Ritchie going toe-to-toe against my beloved Power Rangers, this has been quite the year of cognitive dissonance for me.

Here’s some information thine courtesy of thy press release. I totally botched olde English, haters shall hate:

Acclaimed filmmaker Guy Ritchie brings his dynamic style to an original King Arthur epic, a sweeping fantasy action adventure starring Charlie Hunnam (FX’s “Sons of Anarchy”), for Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures. Principal photography has begun at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, UK.

 

The bold new story introduces a streetwise young Arthur who runs the back alleys of Londonium with his gang, unaware of the life he was born for until he grasps hold of the sword Excalibur—and with it, his future. Instantly challenged by the power of Excalibur, Arthur is forced to make some hard choices. Throwing in with the Resistance and a mysterious young woman named Guinevere, he must learn to master the sword, face down his demons and unite the people to defeat the tyrant Vortigern, who stole his crown and murdered his parents, and become King.

 

The film will shoot primarily at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden, and on location in Wales and Scotland.

 

Slated for release on July 22, 2016, it will be distributed in North America by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.

 

During the Disney ownership of the Power Rangers franchise, production was briefly overseen by Village Roadshow Pictures. Amazing how some things come full circle.

Ooh, also! There was a whole episode of Power Rangers Time Force where the Red Ranger got kick-ass armor upgrades after fighting an evil black knight. They also have a hard time believing the Green Ranger when he tells them the evil knight made him lose their pizza. The Power Rangers. Not believing a knight exists. It’s as bonkers as it sounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQkyeb8vfSE

I Have A Hunch We’ll Be Watching ‘iZombie’ On March 17th, Check Out A New Promo Now!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: Hankering for more iZombie after reading Eric’s fantastic interview with the show’s Executive Producer Diane Ruggiero-Wright?

Well, The CW just released a neat new spot for the upcoming series. It doesn’t reveal a ton of new footage, but it does remind us that the show is coming very soon, and that it looks charming as hell.

In the series, “A med student-turned-zombie takes a job in the coroner’s office to gain access to the brains she must reluctantly eat to maintain her humanity, but with each brain she consumes, she inherits the corpse’s memories. With the help of her medical examiner boss and a police detective, she solves homicide cases in order to quiet the disturbing voices in her head.”

Take a look at the promo below, and let us know if you’re excited! iZombie premieres on March 17th!

http://youtu.be/ZTkuziJHymk

Joseph Kahn’s POWER/RANGERS Pulled From YouTube AND Vimeo!

by Shane O'Hare

The flood gates have opened!

The hottest thing on the internet this week is without a doubt Joseph Kahn’s dark and gritty Power Rangers fan film, and today the folks over at Saban have filed a DMCA take down request with YouTube/Vimeo and got his film TAKEN DOWN!

When the news of this incident came to me, I had to ask our official Power Ranger expert Eric Francisco for his take on the take down.

He informed me that Saban is very strict with the public image of the Rangers, and always wants it to be very kid friendly. This isn’t the first time a fan film has been a cease and desist notice.

Hopefully this all gets sorted out, as Josephs product was truly amazing.

Joseph Kahn’s ‘POWER/RANGERS’ is a Punk Rock Satire on Hollywood Nostalgia

by Eric Francisco

Joseph Kahn is one of my favorite filmmakers of all time. The mastermind behind 2011’s Detention and pop culture staples like Backstreet Boys music videos, I always believed him to be a kind of Edgar Wright if Edgar Wright gave even less fucks. And you know how much I love Power Rangers.

So imagine my surprise to see that Joseph Kahn created a short film, POWER/RANGERS, and it stars James Van Der Beek (“Holy shit, you’re the Dawson!”) and Katee Sackhoff. Yeah, STARBUCK motherfuckers.

Note: That’s the safe-for-work version. A NSFW cut is available on Joseph Kahn’s Vimeo.

For the past year, the filmmaker has been tweeting about working on a tampon commercial. He made Twitter jokes about how epic it would be. Turns out, it wasn’t a Tampax ad.

I have been a fan of the Power Rangers for over two decades. I have been watching since I was one. I didn’t even know speech or how my dick worked, but I understood people becoming karate dinosaurs to pilot giant robots. I can name every actor, describe Alpha 5’s Edenoi origins and how Masked Rider fits into this universe, and I could pick apart Kahn’s use of the Machine Empire.

So understand that when I say fuck the Power Rangers. This is about the current state Hollywood nostalgia and reboot fever, and it’s the most punk rock thing I’ve ever seen.

It’s incredibly violent. It’s gratuitous. It’s ridiculous.

That’s exactly the point.

From Joseph Kahn’s interview on HitFix:

One, as opposed to like taking something like Barney and doing your dark version of Barney, there’s at least a mythology there. The original mythology is really expansive and kind of silly in how many different…” Kahn collapsed into laughter. “I mean, these guys turn into dinosaurs. How do you take that seriously? But there’s enough of like a groundwork of the original source material that they based off this repurposed Japanese show that has like norms of anime and kung fu and all that stuff that appeals to me because I’m an anime and kung fu guy anyways. I just took pieces that I liked and then streamlined it and made a bare bones version and really expressed the versions that seemed like they naturally fit within the down-the-middle dark and gritty reboot.

 

And by the way, the dark and gritty reboot thing is such a cliché that the intention was not only to make it dark and gritty but make it even darker and grittier than you could possibly imagine, hence the brains, the blood and the violence and the sex.”

 

It’s not just Lionsgate but all of Hollywood, they all keep toying around with this ‘dark and gritty’ concept, and they’re all PG-13. I mean…. look at the gunshots. You have a guy going in there shooting a bunch of people and it’s just like puffs of smoke. There’s no repercussions to these gunshots, which to me is even more dangerous than when you actually show some blood. You’re teaching kids that you can shoot a gun and there’s no repercussions to it. 

I highlighted the most startling, noteworthy quote sentences in bold. It sums up so much about what we as public perceive violence in art.

Joseph Kahn doesn’t give a fuck about Power Rangers and that’s the best thing about this 14-minute short. This isn’t some fan jerking off to twenty years of mythology. This is a guy who saw it, took it, and ran as fast as he can with it. Kahn sees Power Rangers as the perfect tool to make a statement about Hollywood’s reboot fever, the sickness that has allowed a fifth Transformers movie and a loud Ninja Turtles film without actually leaving a significant footprint. He’s taking something so perceived to be ridiculous and cheesy and is stopping short of dropping buckets of blood right on it like Carrie, all because you know that’s the version we all secretly want to see.

From Joseph Kahn:

There’s nothing playful except for maybe the Hip-Hop-Kido thing. Maybe a few little like motivational character [things], interactions and stuff. Overall, it’s a very serious thing. The joke isn’t that you’re laughing at each particular scene; the joke is that we did this ‘fuck you’ thing in the first place. You’re going to look at it and you go wow I can’t believe they fucking did that.”

Fans of Kahn are familiar with his sensibilities, as both a filmmaker and commentator on the current state of pop culture. His 2011 indie hit, Detention, sums up his view in a kinetic ninety-minute movie. In fact, it was Detention that once made me believe Kahn would be the perfect visionary behind a 21st-century imagining of the Power Rangers, but his feelings on it have confirmed otherwise (in a quote further down).

Side note: Have you seen Detention? It’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World on a sugar rampage. Go watch it right now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4PFz9gIKKM

This is why Kahn remains one of my favorite filmmakers. Behind his excellent visual eye and artistic direction, he’s a pop culture-obsessed freak but remains disenfranchised by the system. He’s a music video director. Never mind he’s directed Eminem and Shakira. If filmmaking was war and Hollywood directors are dictators, music video directors are the Somali pirates.

Seriously, go see some of his work. His music video for Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” is one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen, and there is not one ounce of sarcasm in that statement.

That’s why he’s the perfect son of a bitch to thumb his nose at Hollywood right now. He’s been there, he’s been shat on, and this is him telling the world not only is he the best at what he does but also you can go fuck yourself if you don’t like it.

He sent this short film out into the world with just one tweet. That’s how much he’s laughing.

My only regret is that Kahn actually chose Power Rangers. He could have done My Little Pony, but MLP doesn’t have the absurdity of kung-fu dinosaurs. It’s cognitive dissonance for me. I’m one of the most passionate fans of the property you’ll meet; last night, I sacrificed sleep on a work night to watch the premiere episode of Ninninger. And this morning, I’m feverishly typing this up as quickly as I can.

One of the most hurtful things I heard this morning wasn’t from Kahn, it was from longtime Power Rangers director Isaac Florentine.

From Drew’s interview at HitFix:

I spent some time with Isaac Florentine at ActionFest one year, and we talked about “Power Rangers.” He was there at the start of things, and listening to him talk about it, art was not on anyone’s mind. I get that there are people who genuinely loved the show when they were kids, and that they would love to see something new. Their fondness for this thing is not the point of Kahn’s film. Instead, it’s more a matter of talking about how these things get squeezed and bent and molded into something new.

Isaac Florentine is also a balls-crazy filmmaker who directed the amazing Ninja: Shadow of a Tear last year. I’ve always wanted to ask him if Power Rangers taught him anything that made his movies like Shadow of a Tear so awesome, because Power Rangers can be awesome if you’re in the right headspace and he himself has done some of the best, most memorable episodes (the “King For a Day” two-parter, in Power Rangers Zeo). But reading that broke me.

Don’t get your hopes up if you think Joseph Kahn is trying out for the upcoming Power Rangers reboot film. He’s not.

“The irony here is that I wouldn’t even want to make “Power Rangers: The Movie’ for real. Like if I had to make a ‘Power Rangers’ movie, this is it. It’s 14 minutes long and it’s violent and this is what I have in me. If they offered me the 200 million version, the PG-13 version, I literally wouldn’t do it. It’s just not interesting to me.”

It’s currently 9:30 AM. I’ve been reading Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing on the train to work, so between that and all my feelings about my favorite filmmaker using my favorite thing in the world as a sock puppet to mock Hollywood has left me exhausted.

Check out more of Joseph Kahn’s work here.

UPDATE: Completely overlooked this. Producer Adi Shankar (The Grey, Dredd) details why he chose Power Rangers. #orlando4pink

Geekscape Interviews: Diane Ruggiero-Wright, Executive Producer of ‘iZombie’

by Eric Francisco

“Shut up!”

Diane Ruggiero-Wright, the executive producer of the upcoming CW series iZombie, told me to shut up. Don’t worry, it wasn’t hostile. We were bonding, in fact. About, of all things, New Jersey.

Ruggiero-Wright is a prolific television writer and producer currently attached to iZombie, the TV adaptation of the graphic novel from DC Comics. She’s also from my hood in Middlesex County.

“Are you serious? I went to Middlesex County College for a year! That’s so funny.”

“So did my sister!” I tell her.

“I spent a ton of time in Edison. Do you remember the Ramada Renaissance Hotel?” I reply positively. Her earlier work, That’s Life, was based on her experiences as a cocktail waitress there and at the Park & Orchird in East Rutherford.

iZombie isn’t about that. It’s about a zombie, in case that was a little vague. But The Walking Dead this is not. Still, that show comes up in conversation.

“Do you watch The Walking Dead?” she asks me. I tell her I do, and that this past second-half season premiere “ruined me.” Fellow fans know why.

“I can’t get over it! It’s going to take me awhile,” she says. “The double-whammy is too much!” She carefully words things as not to spoil it, even though we had both seen it.

She radiates enthusiasm. Not only for what she does, but for the very world of it: television! It’s our cultural campfire, and in this current golden age it is not just better or well-made, it’s daring. It’s charting new territory not thought possible even just a decade ago. A 20-something zombie navigating through life? That stuff used to be for low-budget movies at your video store. Now, they’re on the channel that once housed Dawson’s Creek, and she oozes passion for all of it. It’s almost infectious. You can’t help but not get excited when she’s around, or even just talking on the phone.

Based on the graphic novel from Chris Roberson and Michael Allred, iZombie follows Liv Moore, a brilliant medical student with her whole life ahead of her until one fateful night transforms her into a zombie. Now working at a coroner’s office, she feeds off of brains to survive but soon discovers she can absorb the memories of the deceased, leading her to solving mysteries and homicides.

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From the very beginning, what attracted you to iZombie? What led you to decide, “This show? I’ll do it!”

Diane: Rob Thomas sent me the comic, and I got the first book and went immediately like, “Yes.” It’s just such a great concept to have. It’s an interesting spin on zombies, I’m a huge fan of the zombie genre and [iZombie was] just such a smart spin.

When you’re a person in your mid-20s, you’re kind of having that pre-life crisis anyway, so that when you’re actually dead it’s just really interesting to me. So I was very much on board from the beginning. I actually said yes when he just told me the title! [laughs] He said, “They wanted me to do this show, iZombie.” I was like, “I’m totally on board. What do you need me to do?” And then I read it, and we talked and came up with our take on it. Our take on it came pretty quickly, we were both pretty excited from the get-go.

So the premiere is fast approaching. You’re marking those X’s on the calendar. Very plainly, just how do you guys feel? What’s going through your heads as team? What’s going through your head?

Diane: It’s so weird. I’m trying to be the naysayer. Because everyone else is so positive that I feel like I have to be all doom and gloom. Because it’s just gone so smoothly.

For both Rob and myself, we’ve been developing these passion projects for years that haven’t gone [anywhere]. And every year as you approach pilot season it’s this labor, you have this thing you’re in love with. And this is just so easy-breezy. They brought it to Rob, Rob brought it to me, we worked on it together, everything went really smoothly, and the pilot shoot went great, our cast was wonderful, and everyone is nice. No one is an asshole! [laughs]

So it’s really one of those things where you keep looking at each other, like the network has been great, the studio is amazing…

Everything is falling into place.

Diane: Yeah! So, it’s kind of, everything is just primed. You’re primed for success, so I feel like I have to be like, “Obviously it’s all gonna fall to hell.” [laughs] It’s scary! We’re just editing the penultimate episode. We’ve just finished shooting the finale.

Oh, wow.

Diane: It’s so hard not to have done all this work and have so much in the can, and not have any feedback from anyone other than your partners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOONQw3tkZk

You built your career working on shows like Veronica Mars, Big Shots, and my mother’s favorite, Dirty Sexy Money. What has iZombie been like compared to working on those shows? In what ways has it been different or similar?

Diane: Not to be a jerk and correct you, but I actually built my career on other shows! I created a show, That’s Life, based on my life in New Jersey for two years. [But] doing Veronica Mars was extremely different because I had only written kind of about my life. Some semi-autobiographical stuff. But the difference with iZombie, it’s strange because once you work with Rob, like [how I worked] with Rob on Veronica Mars, we had such a good kind of rhythm. We were pretty good partners.

To work on iZombie with him was very familiar, and it was kind of great to get back into that rhythm. We have a very similar mindset. So when you do these other projects you’re out there on your own, and when you’re on someone else’s show you’re trying to figure out, you might not necessarily “get it” and it might not be your bag. But working with Rob, it’s pretty easy to figure out because we have the same bag. [laughs]

In regards to the original iZombie comic, what kind of liberties did you take from the source material? Or did you follow it to a T in any way? What influenced those decisions?

Diane: We took a lot of liberties. We were inspired by the graphic novel, but one of the reasons it was a great graphic novel is the reason that we couldn’t make it a great TV show and keep it the same. The things they did in the graphic novel that made it awesome, if you translate it into TV would mean a crappy TV show, because we couldn’t just do it well. They do it great in the comics, but we can’t just couldn’t do it on TV.

There was a character that was a “wereterrier,” so one of the leads turns into a wereterrier and I had friends that did Being Human and I know how difficult, how much money and how hard it is to do those werewolf scenes that they had to do. It’s just really hard to do it well on a smaller budget. You don’t want to sacrifice special effects for story, and we just knew it was going to be too big for us. We took the inspiration from the actual journey of the main character, but the other characters we had to kind of do away with to really be able to tell the story in a visually-appealing way on national television.

Image: Comic Vine
Image: Comic Vine

So it’s a case of why these mediums exist in the first place: Some things can only work for comics, some only for TV.

Diane: Exactly. And it’s funny, because those are the things that the ghost best friend and the wereterrier were things I loved about the graphic novel, but if we tried to do that in the pilot I wouldn’t have liked it. But it’s fantastic in the comic, I just don’t think it would have looked good. [But] we were inspired by the relationships, the people she goes to, it’s definitely the heart [from] the graphic novel because [graphic novel author] Chris Roberson is amazingly talented and he wrote a really great book.

iZombie clearly stands out from the rest of the DC Comics TV out now, and it’s almost surprising how many there are now. Were there any challenges in creating the “non-superhero” TV show?

Diane: To tell you the truth, there weren’t any challenges because we didn’t feel any pressure to make it like a superhero DC show. We just felt the pressure to make it the best version of our show we could. But there was no pressure to live up to a certain “ideal” of a superhero standard. There wasn’t anything like that.

It’s funny, we have this writer on our staff, Bob Dearden, who actually helped us — he helped us when we were breaking the pilot too. That’s a question he had asked us also. “This is a lot of pressure, this is a DC property!” But … we just kind of took it at story. And just concentrated on telling the best. Servicing the material as best we could with our spin on it and doing the best we could.

About Bob and the writers as a whole. As an aspiring TV writer myself, what’s it like inside the writer’s room? What’s a day in the office like?

Diane: Well the writer’s room is closed now, because we’ve stopped shooting. But we had a lot of baby writers and some seasoned vets, and not very many in the middle. [laughs] Kit Boss, who has been around and is unbelievably amazing and brilliant who was on Bob’s Burgers and is just a genius. And we have a lot of new, kind of staff-level writers who were just great. It was a nice mix.

A day in the writer’s room is pretty much something I don’t speak because I’m off writing. [laughs] I [have] become something of the “writer monkey,” once we go into production I’m more of the writer monkey and I’m off in my office writing while things are happening. Rob is a fantastic show runner, so it’s not one of those crappy writer’s rooms where you’re there from ten in the morning until ten at night. The hours are great, it’s fun, and we have a great deal of fun dissecting zombies and what to do with them.

I understand Bob Dearden had a great deal of buzz to him when he got on the show. He had his own web show on The CW Seed, Play it Again, Dick.

Diane: He’s great. He was a protege of Rob’s, [and] I thought, “Who is this guy?” And I read his first Dick scripts and they were amazing, and we became friends by then. But he had helped us so much working on the pilot, he had so many great ideas and he was such a great sounding board and then once we got into production, he was a writer’s assistant, but he was just so sharp and had such a great grasp of the material that we really started to look towards him for insight. I especially always pitch everything to Bob. He wound up writing an episode that came out fantastic!

He actually wrote a couple scenes for me on my last episode. We had a quick turnaround, and I thought “Thank God, there’s Bob, except he’s stuck in Vancouver!” [laughs] He’s fantastic.

As a fellow aspiring writer, I should follow in his footsteps then.

Diane: Exactly! The funny thing is, everybody asks, “What do I do to become…?” You have to write well. [laughs]

(In a later email, I asked about Bob Dearden’s situation. It struck me: why was he stuck in Vancouver? I had heard through sources he had some troubles getting back into United States. I sent an email and Diane responded.)

Diane: I wouldn’t so much say Bob “having trouble.” He’s just in the process of applying for a Visa. Apparently the application process takes a lot of time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8c0CQuX-QM

You have a great lead in Rose McIver.

Diane: Oh my God, yes.

She was great in Once Upon a Time and Masters of Sex, but for me personally, I loved her as Summer, the Yellow Ranger in Power Rangers RPM. In your opinion, how has she lived up to your expectations? Did she surprise you in any way?

Diane: She totally surprised me. She just puts a different spin on the ball. And it works. So there’s a lot of times you write a line and you hear it a certain way, and she’ll give it back to you and it’s a little bit different but it works on a level you didn’t even imagine. It’s kind of amazing.

She’s very smart, and she’s extremely witty and the thing about her, she’s unbelievably charismatic. People love her! From the second you start watching the show, you’re just so on her side. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that before, where people universally want to protect her and want to be her friend.

On Power Rangers she was amazing. She was like everyone’s best friend.

Diane: Yeah! She’s your best friend, and she’s formidable, but you also feel like you have to protect her, but she’s not like this needy, weak girl. She’s not a damsel, but you still feel like you want to protect her even though you know she can take care of herself. It’s this weird combination, but I would pretty much kill for her in a second. [laughs] And Rose is lovely. She’s the nicest. I’m not even kidding. You could not find someone to say a bad thing about her. She’s the nicest, coolest, down-to-Earth, funny, like one of the boys but [also] one of the girls.

I’d love to meet her one day!

Diane: You have to!

rosemcivergeekscape
Images: Saban Brands, The CW

As one of the show runners, what do you think iZombie is ultimately about? Thematically speaking? What is the heart and soul of iZombie that can speak to the audience?

Diane: I think the heart of it is the journey of coming to that point in your life where you’ve been working. When I’m in my twenties, once I get out of high school and college, and I be this thing that I’ve known I wanted to be my whole life, my life will be a certain way, and then getting there and realizing that it’s not. And life is completely different than you thought it would and [you’re] reevaluating the world and the way you think about the world and yourself. And that’s what’s happening to the Liv character in an extreme way.

Not only is she learning about the world and herself, she has the onus of trying to protect the world at the same time. So, I think that’s the cool story of our show.

As someone in that position now, I can completely relate.

Diane: [laughs]

iZombie premieres March 17 on The CW.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWCyqJv6q7g

Update: This article in its original form mistakenly named Diane Ruggiero-Wright as “Diane Ruggiero.” That error has been corrected.

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:

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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!

Watch ‘Sirens,’ the Failed TV Pilot Starring the Green Ranger and Fergie

by Eric Francisco

What you’re about to see is nothing short of the greatest thing you will see all day, courtesy from our friends at Dan’s (Toku) Rants.

A failed TV pilot pitch, Sirens was to be a modern sci-fi/fantasy show similar to Buffy the Vampire Slayer but way more bizarre and awesome in the most ridiculous of ways. The premise? A trio of pop singers that are secretly mermaids THAT KNOW KARATE must stop an aquatic alien invasion. Have your eyeballs exploded from reading that sentence? Did you go into shock at “karate mermaids”? Just wait, because the pilot stars Brad Hawkins (VR Troopers, Richard Linklater’s Boyhood), Jason David Frank (“Tommy” from Power Rangers), and Fergie.

Yes, THAT Fergie.

You need to see this right now.

How this wasn’t picked up is beyond my comprehension.

Long before Fergie sang about her lovely lady humps, she was Stacy Ferguson in the R&B/pop group Wild Orchids. They were moderately successful: they released four studio albums, toured with *NSYNC and were named by US Weekly as the #18 Best Girl Group of all time in 2013. But at some point during the group’s lifespan, they almost went into television and Sirens was to be their ship. A little ironic, no?

The project was helmed by Power Rangers producers Doug Sloan and Ann Austen, which explains Frank and Hawkins’ involvement. For a particular brand of geek, seeing these two share a screen is downright fascinating: it’s the leader of the VR Troopers fighting the leader of the Power Rangers! And the Power Ranger is a bad guy! Seriously, if Sirens was picked up, everyone’s childhood hero could have had a run at being the ruthless, cocky muscle for a villain several notches below Lord Zedd. This is the real loss of Sirens. “Get the hell off my car!” could be the next meme in the Power Rangers fandom if this goes viral.

Also involved was renowned effects director Steve Wang. His work is on display with those creature designs. Wang is renowned in certain circles, and you’ve seen his work: He created the Predator. Elsewhere, Wang directed the cult classic Guyver 2: Dark Hero and the Emmy-winning series Kamen Rider Dragon Knight. You might think I’m kidding with that Emmy, but I’m not. He also directed one of the most popular and unique Power Rangers episodes of all time, “The Rescue Mission,” from the Lost Galaxy series.

The creation of Sirens is bizarre purely because of the talent involved. It was put together like any other show normally is, but the cross section of boys’ action TV and pre-teen/teen pop is unlike anything seen before and since. Imagine if the Marvel movies had a project involving Iggy Azalea. Who is it for? But hey, that was just Billy Clinton’s carefree ’90s.

Full disclosure: I have seen this before. In 2012, I went to No Pink Spandex Live! in New York City which was an intimate meet-and-greet with Jason David Frank. It was really cool being just inches to JDF, who at the time was just getting into the convention scene. At NPS Live, Frank provided a screening of this very pilot pitch, and for the life of me I wish I remembered more of what he said about it. There was nothing scandalous or controversial in the creation of this pilot, as I recall it was very run of the mill. It’s just noteworthy because of who’s in it. (Although I do recall Frank discussing a strained relationship after Sirens with Sloan and Austen, his Power Rangers producers.)

Sirens isn’t a secret, it’s just obscure of the highest order. Brad Hawkins, the male lead of this awesomely woman-dominated show, has talked about it in an episode of the Dan’s (Toku) Rants podcast:

“Yeah, Fergie. I was actually really excited about that. She was in a band called Wild Orchid … I just knew there were three hot chicks in this series and me and Jason get to fight a little bit and that’s kinda fun. But it was awesomely terrible, it really is. It’s terrible. But the girls did good. I mean we used the same stunt team from Power Rangers so it was a lot of spinning and kicking, martial arts and stuff. But it just didn’t get the green light and you know Fergie was so depressed she got in a band called the Black Eyed Peas and they just kinda made a zillion dollars and became super stars. So you know, it all worked out.”

The road less traveled will always be the road that fascinates me the most. I hold no delusions: even if Sirens was picked up, its strange premise would have cornered it and it could have been just as quickly forgotten and as obscure as VR Troopers is now. That’s not a knock on Brad or anybody from that show, because even Brad knows how little that show is remembered.

But Sirens remains a delightful anomaly. At the time Sirens was being produced, the audience for Power Rangers were growing up into their teens. At that age, all kids look for something darker, edgier and sexier, so Sirens could have had a real audience. It had all the action those kids were used to, but turned up a notch by virtue of just not being Power Rangers. It had beautiful women, so the puberty kickstarted by Pink and Yellow Rangers (and Kaitlin Hall, because come on, VR Troopers!) just goes into overdrive.

Probably most important, these were ass-kicking MERMAIDS. This was an action-heavy show starring girls whose target audience were probably girls right from the start! It’s honestly hard to tell that from the pilot, but akin to Buffy, Sirens had a magic formula that could have made it appealing across the youth demographic quadrants.

Also at the height of this era were pop bands, those boy and girl groups of yesteryear that dominated the charts. Clearly this show had no shortage of that. It’s so weird and goofy, but if it had the chance maybe Sirens really could have been big.

Who knows what other projects featuring similarly polarizing figures in pop culture have fallen by the wayside?

Original Red Ranger, Austin St. John, Announces Return to Acting in New Film Role

by Eric Francisco

For the original leader of the Power Rangers, it’s back to action.

Austin St. John, who portrayed the heroic, square-jawed Jason the Red Ranger in the original Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and the Gold Ranger in Power Rangers Zeo has announced his first cinematic role in nearly two decades on Facebook.

The film is titled Survival’s End, a post-apocalyptic movie that Austin describes as “insane” with a “betrayal.” Vague, but OK. Crowdfunding has just begun and is on schedule to begin production later this year. (Indiegogo link here.)

From Austin St. John’s Facebook page:

“You guys know me as Austin St. John, who led the Power Rangers from the 1990s. You don’t know what I’ve been doing since then. I’ve been a medic. I’ve been overseas. I have led teams, I have worked with some of the greatest leaders in the military and non-military emergency medical communities. I have learned so much.”

He should have added “AND NOT ADULT FILMS,” because that needs to stop circulating. He dodged bullets overseas, stop thinking he boffed dudes on camera. (Which is not a bad thing, but he didn’t do it!)

Austin St. John has been growing a hunky beard these last few weeks, which I’m sure has tickled the fancy of anybody into the recent lumbersexual phenomenon. When he originally hinted at it, he clarified that it wasn’t for a return to Power Rangers so I expected it was a kind of apocalyptic, The Walking Dead/Book of Eli/I Am Legend kind of project. I was right! I should play the lottery this week.

In fact, I was watching last night’s phenomenal The Walking Dead season premiere and thought Austin specifically would be a great addition to the cast. He could go beard-to-beard with Andrew Lincoln then morph and stomp on walkers with the Tyrannozord.

It’s been a weird, sometimes unfortunate time recently for Power Rangers alumni. Jason David Frank, the original Green/White/Red/Red again/Black Ranger challenged WWE exile-turned-UFC fighter CM Punk. Rick Medina, another former Red Ranger, was arrested and released of all charges. And Amy Jo Johnson, the original Pink Ranger who kickstarted your puberty, busked on a street in Canada in costume. All of these have been strange and kind of depressing (but that last one was awesome!). So it’s nice to hear some nice, good news coming from a former teenager with attitude.

Austin St. John has become something of a friend to Geekscape. I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing him on camera at this past Power MorphiCon…

…and he shared my article about his response to Rick Medina’s arrest on his Instagram page.

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Stay tuned with Geekscape and we’ll let you know about Austin St. John’s epic return as soon as we know more. You can donate to the film on Indiegogo and you can like Austin St. John’s Facebook. And ours too. All of that works.

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.

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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.

Watch an Exclusive ‘Power Rangers Dino Charge’ Clip! (And, We Might See The Premiere Earlier!)

by Eric Francisco

Get excited, Power Rangers fans! Yeah, all three of you!

The hype for Dino Charge has begun, and unlike the hot garbage from the last few years, it actually looks exciting! The Rangers appear to have nuance, and — gasp, character! In this clip, Tyler and Shelby accidentally become Power Rangers for the first time ever.

To non-fans it doesn’t seem like much, but to Power Rangers fans who have suffered through Samurai to Super Megaforce, there are shades of earlier, better-written series like DinoThunder in this clip so any excitement we had going in are slowly becoming validated. I for one cannot wait.

Power Rangers Dino Charge premieres February 7th on Nickelodeon. But according to a Twitter post from earlier, we may be able to watch it sooner than that!

Wow, only 100 retweets? As of right now, there are 764, so yeah, we’re seeing it soon! Keep checking back to Geekscape, we’ll keep you posted as soon as we know more.

Geekscape Interviews: Alison MacInnis and Camille Hyde, TWO Awesome Pink Rangers!

by Eric Francisco

With Power Rangers Dino Charge jut on the horizon (premiering February 7 on Nickelodeon) I’m proud to present an interview I kept in my pocket for a few months now: An interview with Alison MacInnis and Camille Hyde, two very lovely actress who have played/are playing two equally awesome Pink Rangers!

Alison MacInnis portrayed Dana Mitchell, an EMT selected by her father to become the Pink Ranger in 2000’s Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, which is among one of my favorite seasons in the series. She was a childhood crush, so yes — I was nervous. You would be too.

Camille Hyde is a new entrant in the pantheon of Power Rangers legends. Not much is known about her yet beyond some key production information and press releases, but we do know she’s a tough-as-nails tomboy and… yeah, that’s it.

Recorded on the fly at the 2014 Power MorphiCon, I sat down briefly with a veteran crime-fighter and a rookie scrapper and had a fun little chat about what it’s like being a superhero in pink. Power Rangers Dino Charge premieres in exactly two weeks, but now is the perfect time to hear from the best of the best.

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What do you think about Power MorphiCon so far?

Alison: This is unlike any convention I’ve been to. This is my fifth, but, it’s surreal. Everyone recognizes me, instead of maybe one in a thousand? Oh no no, wait, not everybody. Not Chip. Not Chip Lynn. Not the guy I worked with in close quarters for a year. [I] went to meet the new Rangers, ran into him in the hallway, and he was like, “I have no idea who you are.”

Camille: I think the convention this year is amazing. The fans are amazing. They love us so much. They’re so loyal. And it’s just so nice to come here and feel all the energy and excitement of everyone who has been such a loyal fan of the whole series. So I mean, it’s just been a pleasure for me to be a part of this. I’m really excited.

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What was going through your mind when you were going up on stage for the Dino Charge reveal?

Camille: I think the biggest thing was being a role model. Trying to be that new figure for little girls who are gonna be looking up to me and trying to make my first impression count for them.

I was actually going to ask that, what is it like being a role model, for young girls especially?

Alison: Daunting.

It’s a heavy burden?

Alison: No, you just don’t want to mess up. It’s overwhelming. And an honor. An absolute honor. The little girls that come up, [these] cute, sweet, baby girls.

Did you watch Power Rangers growing up?

Camille: When I was really little I used to watch it all the time when I was at home. Growing up I lost touch with it, and then as soon as I found out it was coming back I was really excited, because it was a part of my childhood and I’m so glad it’s so successful and has so many followers.

Alison, you and I met at San Diego Comic-Con, and obviously we’re at a convention right now. Is there anything you two like to geek over personally?

Alison: I played Dungeons & Dragons pretty religiously, and I just canceled my Warcraft account so I might just get out of my house once in awhile. But D&D? Oh yeah.

Camille: Well I was always huge on The Sims, I guess? [laughs]

I love The Sims. Don’t be ashamed!

Camille: I also had Neopets until I was like, 17? So, if that doesn’t make me a geek I don’t know what does.

Did you two have any martial arts experience prior to Power Rangers or did you go through a boot camp when you signed on?

Alison: No! [laughs]

Camille: I did when I was little, but it was like a Saturday kind of thing, when I was in the second grade. It wasn’t serious. So, I’m in for it! I’m definitely gonna get my butt worked.

Alison: They called me a creampuff when I was auditioning. Koichi called me a creampuff.

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Really?

Alison: Oh yeah. He apologized after about a month. He said, okay, I take it back, you can do this.

Camille, have you started production on Dino Charge yet?

Camille: Not yet, we’re actually set to leave for New Zealand next Saturday. So we’ll be shooting in the next couple weeks, and all through next year.

Do you ladies have any last words for the Geekscape audiences out there?

Alison: Watch the Mega War! It’s coming out soon!

Camille: Next season is going to be unlike any other season, it’s going to be huge, it’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be so incredible. You can’t miss it.

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Even the Former Green/White Ranger Doesn’t Know Much About the ‘Power Rangers’ Movie

by Eric Francisco

Every so often I’ll write a small throwaway line about the upcoming Power Rangers movie in any given news I post here. Because with every film that announces a release date in late 2016 or after, by then I will have seen a fully-realized, big-budget Power Rangers movie. A film that, I personally hope, stands to compete against DC, Marvel, and the big, noisy nostalgic tentpoles like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. (It won’t, but just let me hope.)

It’s still so bizarre to me that the movie is happening. The way the franchise was handled by Saban and Disney past its heyday, it looked like Power Rangers could never have a place in the larger pop culture zeitgeist again, even when the nostalgia wave first hit with Transformers. It’s proof that I can never work as a psychic, because now you’ll see former Power Rangers stars in nearly every comic book convention, you can buy expensive, fully-articulated figures, the complete series on DVD, fanfilms, and now the looming big-budget movie.

As far as us peasant consumers go, we know nothing about the movie. It has two well-known writers, it had a well-known (and hate magnet) executive producer, and that’s it. No cast. No director. Who else doesn’t know much about the movie? Former Power Rangers star Jason David Frank, aka “Tommy,” the Green/White/Red/Red again/Black Ranger.

From a recent interview with comicbook.com:

The movie is definitely set for this year. Everything is in place. They won’t give me specific details because it’s all like hush-hush. Even me, I try. I email Saban and ask them kind of what you’re asking me, but they do feel that I’m going to be part of it, because they feel there’s no movie, at least, without me. The funny thing is, one way or another, whether it happens or it doesn’t, I’ve been great to Lionsgate and I’ve been loyal to Saban. It’s not like they owe me, but if I want to ask for a personal favor, I’ve invested into their emotional bank account. I feel like it’s fair to have that withdrawal with them, because I’ve done nothing but support them for the last 10 years, 20 years in fact.

 

So when that happens, I don’t need to cash in any favors. I believe it’s going to happen anyway, but when it does, I’ll keep my fans involved, but I will tell you it is being filmed this year.

 

I know that for a fact. It’s going to be great when it is.

Jason David Frank has become a polarizing figure amongst the Power Rangers fandom in recent years. Whether it’s because he blows up his Instagram so much or what he’s actually saying in those posts that creates his enemies. His effort to ride CM Punk’s coattail a few months ago didn’t help his image much either.

I still don’t know what to think about the movie. Am I excited? Yes. Do I hate being left out? Yes. I will work as the director’s towel boy if it means I can participate, but if I can’t then I’m more green with envy than Jason David Frank’s spandex.

We have nothing else to report about the movie, but we will for sure when we learn more. Believe me.

If you’re hungry for more Jason David Frank, you can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can even see him in Bat in the Sun’s Super Power Beat Down. After all that you should be like the gluttony victim in Seven.

‘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.

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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.

Happy Birthday, David Yost! 5 Blue Ranger-tastic ‘Power Rangers’ Episodes You Should Watch

by Eric Francisco

Happy birthday, David Yost! The actor best remembered for portraying “Billy” in Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers turns 45 today! They often say never meet your heroes, but fortunately for me I have, many times, and roughly 97% of the time they tend to be awesome. (3% was CM Punk awkwardly nodding his head while I told him being in straight-edge in high school was like, super cool for me. Oof.)

The first time, I had the pleasure of meeting him at a private Q&A session in New York City at No Pink Spandex Live back in 2011. Kindly, he has remembered me at subsequent meetings, even though he probably doesn’t remember my name. I’m OK being “that guy” to my heroes, though.

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I’ve held this smile for three years straight. Photo credit: Jason Gibson

David Yost, as you may recall, played adorkable long before Zooey Deschanel even said that word on her lips. He was whiz-kid Billy Cranston, the lance-wielding genius of the Power Rangers. Billy had probably the most interesting role of the Power Rangers, in both function and in the character dynamics. As the archetypical brainiac, Billy was predictably awkward, nerdy, and supremely intelligent about damn near everything, never mind he was primarily a biology and chemistry-centric science guy and probably wouldn’t know much about computers or mechanical engineering. But this was the ’90s, so of course he fucking did. He would describe the biology of a goddamn iguana so they can find a weakness in the monster and then, like, repair Alpha 5 who is an advanced sentient robot from a distant planet. As this archetype exaggerated tenfold, it was just plain cute whenever he had a crush on a girl or stood up physically to one of Rita’s monsters. Billy’s genius was a convenient way to explain a new weapon the Power Rangers can use against Rita and Lord Zedd’s monsters. Almost every episode in the latter half of season one and first half of season two involved a device from Billy. You would be surprised to learn that hardly any of these weapons were made into toys.

Equally surprising, as the show progressed Billy shed his awkward nerdiness into something else entirely. David Yost was always physically fit, but he had to hide it in horizontal-stroped shirts and overalls. Throughout season two and three, Billy ditched his glasses and sported athletic tank tops that showed off his biceps, much like his karate-kicking bros. While on the surface he became almost indistinguishable from Tommy, Adam, and Rocky, by that point kids were familiar with the characters and didn’t need their clothing to communicate to them who was who. Hell, as far as we were concerned, Billy was our best friend. We knew him and loved him.

Yes, Emmy Award-winning Bryan Cranston was the inspiration for the name, and yes, there were major backstage conflicts between the producers and David over his sexuality. But you already know the story to that, as Yost himself has already told you many times.

Since Power Rangers, David Yost has become a producer of reality television, from Temptation Island to The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. He has also worked as a manager of licensing, selling shows to Showtime, Starz, Encore, and even Cartoon Network. If there’s a show you really dig on those channels, thank him.

His philanthropy is also remarkable. In 2002, David Yost performed in Fallen Guardian Angels, a play about six actors dealing with HIV, with proceeds benefitting the The Children’s Hospitals AIDS Center. At Power MorphiCon 2012, David Yost sold autographs and photo-ops by donation, with proceeds going to The Trevor Project, a non-profit organization focused on suicide prevention amongst LGBT youth. I’m so happy he can be open about who he is and use his notoriety as a Power Ranger to help. Like Austin St. John working as a paramedic and firefighter in Washington DC and soldiers in Kuwait, the dude is a real-life superhero.

We’re not here to re-open wounds that have already been stitched. We’re here to celebrate! In honor of David Yosts’ birthday, here are five awesome and classic Power Rangers episodes centered on the teenage genius of Angel Grove. Binge them on Netflix, Hulu, or the kick-ass DVDs from Shout! Factory.

“Switching Places” – Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (Season 1)

A science experiment goes awry and Billy and Kimberly — the beauty queen of Angel Grove High — switch bodies. Unable to figure out how to switch back, they end up at each other’s throats. Easily one of the most fun episodes of the early series, you can see David Yost and Amy Jo Johnson have a ball (uh, no pun intended) playing each other’s characters. Possibly even more fun? Bulk and Skull (played by legit Shakespearean actors Paul Schrier and Jason Narvy) also switch, and they totally nail the nuances of each other.

The episode reminds me of a similar mishap on Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place, where the gang switch bodies; Sharon (Traylor Howard) switches with Berg (Ryan Reynolds), which leads to a hilarious scene where Ryan Reynolds almost kisses Sharon’s husband Johnny (Nathan Fillion). Bummer that type of comedy couldn’t in a million years belong in Power Rangers.

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“Dark Warrior” – Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (Season 1)

Fed up with Bulk and Skull’s bullying for the umpteenth time, Trini asks her Uncle Howard — an old man, but also a brilliant scientist and martial artist — to teach Billy and give him confidence. While the titular Dark Warrior has no personal stake with Billy, it’s a nice episode to see Billy take but an inch step closer to a proper superhero.

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“Peace, Love, & Woe” – Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (Season 1)

Angel Grove High is preparing for the school dance and everyone has a date except Billy, until he meets the super cute, incredibly brainy Marge (who looks like Kristin Davis from Sex & the City, see if you agree). When Rita sends down Madame Woe, Woe mistakes Marge for a Power Ranger and takes her prisoner. The other Power Rangers come to the rescue, but it comes down to Billy alone to save the day.

One of the most fondly-remembered monsters in Power Rangers lore, Madame Woe is downright creepy as shit. Evoking a kabuki Lady Macbeth from Throne of Blood, her appearance and voice is the most unique of Power Rangers monsters, even twenty years later.

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“Something Fishy” – Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (Season 1)

Billy declines to join Jason, Trini, and Zack on a scuba-diving trip because he “dislikes fish.” When Kimberly asks him why, he reveals he in fact has a debilitating fear of them, which stems from a childhood trauma. (It’s an incredibly innocent one, of course.) Naturally, Rita Repulsa sends down the Goo Fish Monster and Billy is left a nervous wreck. A not-so-subtle metaphor of overcoming your fears, it is yet another step forward for Billy the superhero.

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“Grumble Bee” – Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (Season 1)

Billy, proud of his academic excellence, gets a B on a test and loses his mojo. Even his superheroics suffer. With the help of Trini, Billy tries to get back on his A-game and rescue the other Power Rangers.

“Blue Ranger Gone Bad” – Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers (Season 2)

The first season of Power Rangers ended with the supremely anti-climactic An Oyster Stew, which was a normal episode like any other. Power Rangers isn’t known for storytelling like Game of Thrones, especially since production relied heavily on the Japanese series; they were charting completely new territory in the realm of TV production after all. Thus, the producers kept pretty light on their over-arching storylines until season three, which is to say they hardly had any. Season two ends with “Blue Ranger Gone Bad,” also an episode that could have aired almost any time since Karan Ashley, Jonny Yong Bosch, and Steve Cardenas joined the cast.

While in art class, Billy catches the eye of a girl named Violet (Angel Grove girls must LOVE nerds) who creates a clay sculpture in Billy’s likeness, which is not at all indicative of a serial killer. Rita casts a spell to make the statue an evil clone of Billy and they trap the real Billy in Goldar’s dark dimension. David Yost has had to play an evil Billy before in “Power Ranger Punks,” but that was an exaggerated caricature. In “Blue Ranger Gone Bad,” he’s far more subtle and subdued, and totally a dick. It’s a great exhibition of Yosts’ acting, able to take Billy and alter his minor nuances into something far more sinister.

Not enough? Check out the awesome two-part episode where we said goodbye to the badass we call Billy Cranston.

“Rangers of Two Worlds” – Power Rangers Zeo

In this pretty awesome two-part episode of the seriously awesome Power Rangers Zeo, Billy has aged into an old man. During what you may consider the 10-part finale of Mighty Morphin’ (not entirely correct, but not wrong either), Rita and Zedd casted a spell that transformed everyone in Angel Grove back into children. Billy, using a regenerator device, managed to restore himself to his proper age before the others embarked on the search for the Zeo Crystals, which would later give them the Zeo Ranger powers. In “Rangers of Two Worlds,” the side effects begin to take hold and Billy has suddenly aged into an older gentleman. Meanwhile, Rita transforms Catherine’s purse into a nearly indestructible monster — much to the dismay of the new faction of villains, the Machine Empire. The Rangers seek help from the Alien Rangers, and in incredible (but sadly brief) fashion, the two groups of Rangers team-up for a kick-ass climactic battle. Try not to tear up too much when you see the goodbye tribute the show gives him in the ending credits.

While David Yost had left the show already by this point, this was his character’s send-off. Power Rangers has a spotty track record when it comes to honorably sending off its heroes; Austin St. John, Thuy Trang, and Walter Jones got a pretty bad F-U departure, which was so bad fans have phrased it “Going to Switzerland” or “Going to a Peace Conference” when referencing characters who get unceremoniously kicked out. Meanwhile, Amy Jo Johnson had a multi-part episode that saw her chasing her dreams. Karan Ashley was somewhere in between, she didn’t say goodbye as herself (her younger self did, remember, Rita and Zedd’s spell) but we did get a nice last look at her normal self, happy to stay behind and help an African village. Billy is also somewhere in between, as his true last episode was earlier in the season, but “Rangers of Two Worlds” wraps up his story (as well as furthering the Rita and Zedd vs. the Machine Empire subplot) while also giving us an awesome visual of the Zeo and Alien Rangers fighting together. It’s times like this when I remember just how fucking incredible Power Rangers Zeo was.

Happy birthday, David Yost! Triceratops! Keep up with David on Facebook and Twitter!

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!