I'll be honest, I was a fan. I had the toys, the clothes, the videos, the themed birthday parties. So I was super excited to hear the announcement that Saban and Lionsgate (Hunger Games, Twilight, American Psycho) were bringing the rainbow warriors back to the silver screen. Naturally I began to speculate on whom could the parts and what direction they would be going with the story.
My story speculation is that this first film will be an orign story. It will act as a vessel to bridge the old fans to the new. It will focus on the people that are behind the helmets and they're struggle to control and respect the power given to them while dealing with this intersteller threat that is Rita Repulsa.
Note: I'd save the Green Ranger arc until Movie 2 but will still include him in my fancast.
Jason Scott Lee/The Red Ranger
To many people the leader of the rangers during this time is the Tommy Oliver, the Green Ranger. But contrary to popular belief there was a time when the Rangers didn't know Tommy and the Rangers were led by Jason, the talented Martial Artist with a great grasp of rsponsibility and understanding of the importance of friends. For Jason I chose
Liam Hemsworth
Now this may look like a bandwagon pick from Hollywoods most wanted list but I actually believe this role is right up his alley. He is now stranger to action flicks (The Expendables 2, Catching Fire) and has the "leader" look. He is a decent actor who I believe hasn't really had the chance to show us his depth, not saying this part will have depth but I believe his is "overqualified" with acting ability for this part.
Billy Cranston/The Blue Ranger
To me Billy has always been the voice of reason in the group, among the brains of the operation. To pull Billy off the actor needs to portray the reserved reasoning inteillectual but still have a little Ass Kicking in him. Here I chose to place
Logan Lerman in the role.
This kid is going places, he is the star of the Percy Jackson series, and has a filography longer than most actors and is only 22. He has already played the introvert in Perks of being a walflower and could knock this role out of the park.
Zach Taylor/ The Black Ranger
Zach is the up beat, easily excitable, comic relief of the group and also my favorite ranger color. He should be played by someone with a comedy background. I went with
Tequan Richmond.
T is a relativly unknown actor being stowed away in Soap land (General Hospital), but I believe he wont be unknown for long. He has natural comidic timing from the show Everybody Hates Chris but has a dramatic side to him aswell. I think this role whould shoot his star out there and would be a great match.
Kimberly Ann Hart/ The Pink Ranger
Kimberly was always the crush, the girl next door with a laser bow and Tommy's love intrest. Kim as a character was full of witt and sarcasm but cares for her friends more than anything and the casting needs to reflect that. For the Pink Ranger I chose
Emma Roberts.
She's a cutie pie whith great acting depth (Palo Alto) and comedic timing (We're the Millers). To me she has that girl next door look and is star powered enough to be accepted as every 90's boy's crush.
Trini Kwan/ The Yellow Ranger
Trini was always a bit of a tomboy in the series, with the idea of protecting people as a ranger appealing to her greatly. She also has the second highest intellect in the group behind Billy, often explaining Billy's technical jibberish to the rest of the rest of the group. I looked for a young actress who could play a tough intelectual and landed on Disney's
Brenda Song.
She is a beautiful young actress with witt and charm, she is a character actor from the Disney Network who could add another comic source in the movie. She has been some great characters and could thrive in this movie.
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Tommy Oliver/ The Green Ranger/ The White Ranger
Tommy is the GOAT, greatest of all time. He needs to strong, courages, dangerous, and dripping with Bad Assery. Now, I would LOVE to throw Jason David Frank in this role, but sadly, he has outgrown the part and is covered in tats. So he will have to settle for the teacher role or a cameo. (SIDE NOTE: How awesome would it be to have the original rangers playing the teachers of Angel Grove High, RIP Thuy Trang) There is no way we can replace JDF, so I am going another rout, I looked for an actor with the "anti-hero" look that would add to the dangerous side of Tommy that would be awesome in a movie with the original Green Ranger Arc. The key word here is SINISTER. I chose
Alex Pettyfer.
He was the Lead in I am Number Four, he was Alex Rider, and I believe he can bring a new dimention to Tommy Oliver. In the Series Tommy was all american lad after the Green Ranger arc but I think he should be that broody, conflicted, remorsefull, self depriciating character and he can play that well. Say what you want about his roles the dude can act (See Young Artist Award and Empire Award).
Honorable mentions for the Rangers:
Daryl Sabara (Spy Kids)- BIlly
Robbie Amell- Tommy
Dianna Agron- Kimberly
Jamie Chung- Trini
Brandon T. Jackson- Zach Taylor