Tag: Power Rangers

CM Punk vs. Jason David Frank in UFC: Will It Happen?

by Eric Francisco

As you may have already heard, former WWE Superstar and disgruntled professional CM Punk will be joining the UFC in his debut match in 2015. While CM Punk isn’t the first professional wrestler to step inside the octagon, his history and personality are unlike anything the world of MMA has seen. He made this announcement last night at UFC 181.

After the announcement, Jason David Frank threw his name into the possible list of candidates. The internet has been abuzz over the possibility of seeing Frank — an iconic TV superhero from their childhood turned MMA fighter and Comic-Con staple — fight CM Punk, pro wrestling revolutionary who walked away from an illustrious career.

I tried to avoid writing about this story because of the absurdity and, let’s be honest, complete unlikeliness to occur, but something I read on Fox Sports completely changed my tune.

From Fox Sports:

UFC president Dana White stated on Saturday night that Brooks’ first fight will come against someone with equal footing in the fight game, most likely a fighter with one or two professional fights on their record.

Could CM Punk actually fight Jason David Frank in the UFC?

Let’s back up.

Who is Jason David Frank?

Jason David Frank practiced martial arts since childhood, and at 18 he used those talents to star in TV’s Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers on the FOX Kids network. He was the central character to the defining five-part episode, “Green With Evil” that introduced the evil Green Ranger, which I think alone cemented Power Rangers as the ’90s icon as it is fondly remembered today.

He had his own unique costume. He had his own unique weapon. He had his own unique giant robot. He had his own unique theme song. Twice.

Kids loved Power Rangers because of Tommy, and it was because of Tommy they loved Power Rangers. It was a feedback phenomenon that fueled each other to become the great merchandise machine of the early ’90s. But at the cusp of that success in season two, the Tommy character was to be written off. Jason David Frank was set to star in a brand-new series from Saban Entertainment, tentatively titled Cybertron. An adaptation of the Japanese series Metalder, the show was primed for Frank to star as a solo act. It was also to star in a minor role, I’m not kidding, Jamie Kennedy.

This is noteworthy because this was 1994, and not 2014 when you can influence consumer products with a single hashtag. In 1994, parents called in by the truckload, by the sheer thousands on behalf of their kids to keep Tommy on the show. The plans were quickly changed, with Tommy later becoming the equally iconic White Ranger and actor Brad Hawkins taking over Jason David Frank’s departed role. (Cybertron would later be retooled as VR Troopers, which at this time you can watch in its entirety on Netflix.) Frank did a total of five and a half seasons of Power Rangers, plus two Hollywood movies and two direct-to-video instructional karate videos that all kids had, all under the Power Rangers banner.

For a generation, he was a superhero.

In later years, Jason David Frank started his own chain of martial arts schools, Rising Sun Karate, across the country. In 2003, he was inducted into the World Karate Union Hall of Fame. By 2010, Frank would go on to a buzzworthy MMA career, with an undefeated amateur record at 4-0 and a professional record of 1-0. That is impressive, considering MMA did not become both the refined sport and phenomenon it is now until well into the mid-’00s. But after 2011, Frank was comfortable traveling to comic book conventions, selling off his name to 8×10’s, DVDs, and whatever new anniversary-edition toys Bandai releases. That’s not a knock on him: His age caught up with him, and if he can still maintain an undefeated record but still make a comfortable living selling his image, that’s not a bad business plan. Also, I know he’s well off because one look at his very active social media will tell you that.

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

Currently, Jason David Frank continues to operate his martial arts schools, has a YouTube reality series My Morphin’ Life (yes, really), and travels frequently visiting fans at conventions. He’s a mainstay at the Wizard World convention circuit, where he once met the man named CM Punk.

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CM Punk and Jason David Frank in 2012.

Who is CM Punk?

CM Punk, real name Phil Brooks, is a former professional wrestler who started in the backyards of Chicago to headlining sold-out arenas worldwide. He gained notoriety and crossover appeal — the first for pro wrestling since the days of “Stone Cold” Steve Austin — for letting his true feelings known about his employers on a crazy Monday night in June 2011. Disgruntled about his place in the hierarchy, CM Punk took a live microphone and unleashed a barrage of harsh words, “a lifetime’s worth of frustration” to a live audience in Las Vegas.

He would later hold the WWE Championship for an unprecedented 434 days. I was there for night one in Madison Square Garden.

For one moment, CM Punk defined a wrestling generation.

For a generation, CM Punk started a revolution.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Ms0DFxpptk

For the less-familiar it might come off like a guy who is just sour he wasn’t the star he thought he was, but longtime fans know how deserving CM Punk was at that time. He was legitimately the people’s choice, and the WWE refused to let that happen until Punk began to speak. Years removed and you will find people’s opinions change. Such is the inevitability of these things. The WWE-produced 2012 documentary, CM Punk: Best in the World, is required viewing (it’s pretty great) and will give you a complete understanding of who CM Punk is and was.

But just know: For a generation, Punk was a revolution.

In January 2014, CM Punk left the WWE without warning. He opened up his feelings about this in a much-talked about recently episode of Colt Cabana’s (also a friend and former WWE Superstar) Art of Wrestling podcast.

https://soundcloud.com/coltcabana/aow-226-cm-punk

Since leaving the WWE and the pro wrestling industry, CM Punk married, worked with Chris Hardwick’s The Nerdist, and is set to make his Marvel Comics writing debut with Thor Annual #1 early next year. Fans noted how happy and cheerful he was in these environments compared to the grouch he was during his time in the WWE.

And yes, CM Punk does have legitimate fight training. He is close friends with the Gracie family, the name in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He trained with them on and off during his wrestling career, and almost non-stop since he retired. Has he ever fought an MMA-sanctioned match? No. But I wouldn’t underestimate him either.

After making a second appearance on Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling, any potential of CM Punk returning to the WWE went from slim to now near impossible. And if you were to ask him, CM Punk probably wouldn’t mind. This past Sunday night, CM Punk showed up at UFC 181 to make his announcement.

Will CM Punk vs. Jason David Frank happen?

Nah.

Probably not.

For the last year and a half, Jason David Frank has egged CM Punk into fighting under MMA rules ever since some fans decided to make that dumb connection at Wizard World.

We are at a point, culturally, where worlds colliding happen more than ever by absurd circumstances. I remember in the early ’00s distinctly how much people blew up when Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Madonna performed at the MTV VMAs. Not that that was a pinnacle moment in our pop culture, but in the last decade we have gotten used to seeing strange bedfellows.

Jay and Silent Bob attended Degrassi. Freddy fought Jason. James Bond escorted the Queen to the Olympics. The fucking Avengers. The professional wrestling world above all, even more than comic book fans, should be used to these things. From the Invasion storyline of 2001 (where WCW and ECW wrestlers waged war with then-WWF stars, to mediocre results) to the Big Show fighting Floyd Mayweather Jr., it is now just kind of a thing to happen. People attending comic book conventions are used to fighting games which almost always feature a crossover character, so of course someone would bring up Jason David Frank fighting CM Punk like as if life was a video game. It’s not, but don’t tell them that.

Jason David Frank has milked the buzz for as long as he could. You could say it’s Jason David Frank trying raise his own stock — and again, I wouldn’t fault him for it, if I were him I totally, 100% would. He’s done everything from posting photoshops made by fans to creating his own ripoff t-shirts.

cmpunkjdfshirt

Weirdly, Frank’s efforts may have paid off. After reminding his 600,000+ Facebook followers, 98,000+ Instagram followers and however many watch his YouTube show about his desire to fight Punk for over a year and a half, it hit a fever pitch starting last night when Punk announced his intentions to step into the UFC octagon. As of now, social media is buzzing about the potential (I say that word cautiously) bout. People are actually picking up on the story now.

But will it ever be a story?

CM Punk, since meeting Frank at Wizard World, has largely ignored Frank’s taps on his shoulders. Beyond the Wizard World comment of “Yeah, sure, why not?” when asked if he’d fight Frank, there has been nothing but silence. No acknowledgement, no reference, no funny tweets. Speculatively, CM Punk simply does not see Jason David Frank as a legitimate competitor. Is it age? Is it Power Rangers? Is it fight experience?

The whole of UFC is eyeing CM Punk, thinking he isn’t one either. Once again, MMA has a wrassler who thinks he can fight. While Brock Lesnar bore the brunt of the “wrestlers can’t fight” paradigm and nearly shifted that whole by himself, there are still a lot of doubters against Punk. Many believe that he never earned his UFC slot, no matter how big his profile. But since the impossible has happened, he now needs a competitor on his level. And, despite odds, I don’t think Jason David Frank is that guy.

Jason David Frank’s MMA background more than qualifies him for a UFC debut alongside CM Punk, and decades of martial arts experience to prove otherwise, but people simply can’t get over the Power Rangers thing. Power Rangers occupies such a weird fucking place in our culture that the mere mention of it can spook people silly. I recall speaking to several Power Rangers actors at Power MorphiCon this year, and they told me about their struggle of finding work after the show when casting directors see it listed on their resume. Jason David Frank milks his Power Rangers past to financial benefit, but it may have killed his chances at earning legitimacy in the world of combat sports.

It’s unfair, for him and maybe for many of his fans, but I do not believe the UFC would like the absurdity of a TV actor fighting a wrestler in their arena. No matter their legitimate fight experience, Dana White isn’t the kind of guy to bill a fight purely for the LOLs. It sounds harsh, and as a fan of pro wrestling, martial arts, and yes, Power Rangers, I also know that Dana White is not a circus promoter.

So nah. It probably won’t happen.

I eagerly look forward to CM Punk’s first UFC fight next year and seeing Jason David Frank at Comic-Con.

Low-Res Banner Reveals “Shuriken Sentai Ninninger,” 2015’s Super Sentai Series

by Eric Francisco

While Power Rangers Dino Charge is right around the corner, standing quietly behind it is the next iteration of Power Rangers’ Japanese sibling show, Super Sentai. Long-rumored to be the ninja-themed Shuriken Sentai Ninninger (yes, that’s a small typo away from trouble), a very pixel-y, low-resolution banner image has been leaked and posted on RangerBoard.

Confirmed: Yes, it’s Ninninger and they are ninjas.

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With 1994’s Ninja Sentai Kakuranger and 2002’s Ninpu Sentai Hurricanger, this is now the third ninja-themed Super Sentai series in the franchise (but certainly not the third to have ninjas at all, see: 1987’s Hikari Sentai Maskman). And, I like it!

Every year around this time the look of the next Super Sentai series is leaked in some form or another in very low-resolution images. This year is no different, but for once the costumes look pretty good despite the Windows 95-era image quality. The suit designs are expectedly a mix of Kakuranger, Hurricanger, and somewhat of a surprise, I see a little of 2009’s Samurai Sentai Shinkenger.

For the past few years I avoided Super Sentai due to incredibly dumb premises I couldn’t get past. I can definitely get behind plain, badass ninjas. Have you seen this year’s Ressha Sentai ToQger? If you frequent sites like Uproxx, you might have heard of it.

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This isn’t a bootleg. This is real.

ToQger looks silly and goofy (and I’ve been told it really is, because Jesus Christ look at the picture above), and not in the charming ’66 Batman way either. 2013’s Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger mixed dinosaurs with samba dancing, which only makes sense in Japan. 2012’s Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters has been hailed as a storytelling masterpiece by my fellow peers, but I couldn’t stand the low-rent C-3POs each Ranger had as their companions robots.

On the topic of spandex color and genders, this is the first since 1985’s Dengeki Sentai Changeman to feature a female White Ranger and Pink Ranger. Retro! And, look, about that.

I know I’ve been serving as the sort of official/unofficial liaison between Geekscape and the Power Rangers fandom, and I hope you’ve been finding my job at that satisfactory thus far, but there are some nuances — like the gender/color combination as a thing to care about — that are totally normal to me but weird to you and that’s something I take for granted. Fans looking forward to what colors will be used and the gender of each Ranger has become something of a …thing to speculate. I can’t tell you why. It just is. Thanks for just going with it, I sincerely appreciate it.

Anyway. Unlike Dino Charge, which has TV promos online, toys already on shelves, and even a smart phone app to play with, Ninninger is still just away from arm’s reach. This pixel-feast of a banner is all we have. So stay tuned to Geekscape, we’ll post more information as soon as we know more.

Brand New ‘Power Rangers Dino Charge’ Teaser Has Almost Entirely New Footage

by Eric Francisco

Power Rangers Super Megaforce mercifully came to an end today. Two years a “Legendary War” was hyped that lasted just under four minutes and was predominantly recycled Gokaiger scenes. There’s supposed to be an extended cut airing this Monday night, but safe to say fans have moved on to greener pastures. Those pastures being 2015’s Power Rangers Dino Charge.

After the abysmal finale to the abysmal Super Megaforce, Nickelodeon aired a brand-new teaser to Power Rangers Dino Charge, different than what was shown at this year’s Power MorphiCon and Licensing Expo.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebu9oPWZ7WE

It’s almost entirely new footage! And we get a great look at the villain, the first original villain in Power Rangers since the Disney era. But the teaser itself is really just okay, and not too different from what a Megaforce promo looked like.

But it’s Dino Charge! There are legitimate reasons to be excited. Beloved producer Judd Lynn has returned to helm the series, and the characters just look great. For those unfamiliar with showrunner Judd Lynn, it’s the rough equivalent of having Bruce Timm (showrunner of the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series) work on Gotham. But the standout is actress Camille Hyde, who will be playing the Pink Ranger. While unfortunate she’s the only woman on the team (for now), she is breaking ground as the first black Pink Ranger, which is a first in the twenty-plus years that Power Rangers has been on air. Twenty years. Better late than never. And hey, not even the Marvel movies have a black female superhero.

Also of note is Yoshua Sudarso, playing the Blue Ranger. On the surface he’s a pretty boy model and extremely athletic stuntman, but if you catch him on social media you will see just how dyed-in-the-wool nerd he is of the franchise. He’s constantly on the closed (but not secret) Facebook Rangers group — the largest network of Power Rangers fans on Facebook — gushing about Super Sentai and working with the stunt crew. He reminds me of David Tennant, who was obsessed with Doctor Who as a child and grew up to become a powerhouse of a Doctor himself. He even has cool hair like Tennant.

For me, it’s just nice to be excited about Power Rangers again, because Super Megaforce left me a vegetable.

Power Rangers Dino Charge will air in early 2015 on Nickelodeon. Will you be watching?

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

by Eric Francisco

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Billy freeing the other Rangers was American footage.

mmpramericanoctophantom

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

Now check out the shit Japan shot:

mmprjapanoctophantom

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

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

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

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

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

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

by Eric Francisco

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

‘Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger’ Shout! Factory DVD Art Revealed!

by Eric Francisco

As most of you Geekscapists know, I am a die-hard Power Rangers fan. No matter what ridiculous decisions surround the upcoming 2016 movie, I will stand by it for no good reason other than just because. So I’m pretty excited for this.

At the San Diego Comic-Con this year, Shout! Factory, the renowned home video distributors of your childhood memories, announced they will be releasing — for the first-time ever on American soil — the complete Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger series on DVD! And today, they unveiled the official cover on their Tumblr page:

 

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Not at all what I expected! The DVD cover is, in a word, risky. You would think to sell the DVD, they would put up the Zyuranger/Mighty Morphin’ costumes front and center, but nope! It’s a crystal clear image of the original actors, which I think is amazing. It’s about time their faces become more well-known after the phenomenon of Power Rangers all but erased them. Furthermore, there isn’t one single sight of the Power Rangers logo anywhere. There’s just the easy-to-miss “Before Power Rangers there was…” line at the top.

Also, isn’t it a little confusing? They have at the top “Before Power Rangers there was” and then “SUPER SENTAI” in big-ass letters, only to have “Zyuranger” spelled out in English at the bottom. The hell? Fans know exactly what this is, but to the less informed they don’t know what this thing is called.

Having seen Zyuranger, I’ll be buying this purely to support North American-released Super Sentai, which only could have happened in our dreams before the current geek landscape. Truthfully, Zyuranger is not a very good series. There are almost no interesting characters, awful pacing, ridiculous storylines (even given the genre!), and a gigantic lack of any meaningful arcs. Yes, Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers has better storytelling. You can believe that or not. Aside from the obvious cool factor of seeing Power Rangers before they were, you know, Power Rangers, there is little reason to give Zyuranger any real attention. The action choreography is pretty great, though.

That said, I did have a wonderful time moderating the Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger panel at the Power MorphiCon convention this past summer. Jealous?

An official release date and price is still unknown.

Will you be buying the DVD set? Comment below!

Power Morphicon 2014: Interview with Austin St. John, The Original Red Ranger!

by Eric Francisco

He led the first group of Power Rangers through the hell that Rita Repulsa put them through and paved the way for generations to come: Austin St. John, who portrayed Jason, the original Red Ranger from 1993’s Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers! We interviewed him right from the floor at Power Morphicon 2014, the official Power Rangers fan convention, last month in Pasadena, California.

It’s rare when you can speak to one of your own childhood heroes, and even rarer to interview them on camera! My nervousness shows. But I was able to pull the man, the myth, and the legend aside for a few minutes and we had ourselves a nice little chat. From his life growing up, his time on the show, to what he’s up to now, and we finally put an end to a fan-circulated rivalry.

You can keep up with Austin St. John through all his social media channels here:

Official website: http://www.austinstjohn.us/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/austinstjohn

Twitter: @ASJAustin

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Power Morphicon 2014: Can ‘Power Rangers’ Fans Name All Wu-Tang Clan Members?

by Eric Francisco

The Wu-Tang Clan and the Power Rangers share a surprising amount of similarities. They both know kung-fu. Both have awesome spirit animals and nicknames. Both made a scene in a big way in 1993. And, both are badass. Period. I went out onto the floor of Power Morphicon last month to see how large the venn diagram is of Power Rangers fans who believe that Wu-Tang is forever. And you might be surprised by the results.

Geekscape 333: Appreciating The Power Rangers!

by Jonathan

Power Morphicon was this past weekend and everyone was there celebrating all things Mighty Morphin Power Rangers! Oh, except me. I don’t know up from down when it comes to Power Rangers so I recruited our resident expert Eric Francicso, who has been going to Morphicon since 2007, to break things down for me. How was Morphicon? What were the big announcements? And for a newbie like me, what’s the best way to start watching the series? He spells things out pretty clear on this new episode so I guess it’s Morphin Time!

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Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:37 — 65.9MB)

‘Power Rangers’ Gets A Release Date!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: 2016 is going to be a busy year. The year is filled with gigantic films like Cap 3, Batman v. Superman, Finding Dory, and Warcraft among dozens of others, and another huge release has just been announced for the cycle.

Lionsgate and Saban have revealed that Power Rangers will hit theatres on July 22nd, 2016.

Details on the film are still scarce (or non-existent), and the feature is still without a cast and director, but the script is coming from Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz while Haim Saban, Brian Casentini, Allison Shearmur and Roberto Orci will produce.

The first official synopsis for the film also debuted today, but it reveals nothing that we don’t already know:

From a story by Executive Producer Roberto Orci (TRANSFORMERS, STAR TREK, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2) and screenwriters Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller (X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, THOR) comes a modern reinvention of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a group of ordinary high school kids who find themselves infused with extraterrestrial powers and must harness those powers as a team to save the world.

What do you hope to see in the film? Sound out in the comments below!

‘X-Men: First Class’ Writers To Script ‘Power Rangers’

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: We still don’t know many details about Lionsgate and Saban’s recently announced Power Rangers, but we now know just who will write the script.

X-Men: First Class and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles scribes Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz will write the film, while Star Trek and Transformers screenwriter Robert Orci will help develop the story and executive produce.

We’ll be sure to fill you in as we learn more about the project, but as THR notes, the film will “completely re-envision the Rangers, a group of high school kids who are infused with unique superpowers but must harness and use those powers as a team if they have any hope of saving the world.”

Are you looking forward to the film? Anyone you would like to see take the role of a Ranger? Sound out below!

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Source: THR

It’s Morphin’ Time! Lionsgate Is Bringing Us A New ‘Power Rangers’ Movie!

by Shane O'Hare

Just hitting the Geeksape news desk is some radical news! Lionsgate and Saban Entertainment are joining forces to bring us a new live action Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie!

Launched in America over 20 years ago, the Power Rangers have been a staple of children’s saturday morning television every week. From dinosaurs to ninjas and from space police to jungle animals, they’ve gone pretty much everywhere.

Details are vague; is this a reboot/re-envisioning of the show from 1993? OR, is this an entirely brand new narrative. The world will have to wait.