"Power Rangers" Reboot Casting and Concepts...

"Power Rangers" Reboot Casting and Concepts...

A compilation of various castings, concept arts, and story ideas from around the web, in regards to the "Power Rangers" reboot of 2016.

By Optimist18 - Aug 16, 2014 01:08 AM EST
Filed Under: Fan Fic
Source: ComicBookMovie.com

First off, before we get into the nitty gritty below, a brief plot summary based on this compilation: An ancient alien, Zordon of Eltar, arrives on Earth after battling his enemies, Lord Zedd (his brother) and Rita Repulsa (Zedd's wife). Zedd is also on Earth (after pursuing Zordon), but is severely depowered, and is now living in the alleyways of the city of Angel Grove, California. Zordon, and his aide, Alpha 5, are stranded in a remote desert, and they use their remaining resources to establish a base of operations, the “Command Center”. On the Moon, Rita, and Zedd's general, Goldar (a brutish, lion-gargoyle creature), set up their own base, and seek to restore Zedd to his full power. To hunt down Lord Zedd, who's ruling the crime in Angel Grove with an iron fist, Zordon and Alpha recruit five young adults that Zordon feels are worthy of utilizing the mystic powers of Eltar, thus becoming his “Power Rangers”. Rita retaliates by recruiting the five's newest acquaintance, and turns him into her evil Green Ranger. When the Green Ranger proves too powerful for the five to overcome, Zordon finds the Green Ranger's brother, and turns him into the White Ranger, a title Zordon himself once held. 

First five Ranger castings by GeekTruth64 on deviantart.



Jason Scott is the leader of the Power Rangers, played by Liam Hemsworth. Profile below by BadDogg on deviantart.

 

"Jason Lee Scott- The Red Tyrannosaurus Ranger. Code named Tooth. Jason is the leader of the Power Rangers stationed on Earth and specializes in frontline combat. Jason is disciplined by both nature and nurture. His father is a Gunnery Sergeant in the Marines, and his grandfather was an army ranger in Vietnam. These two managed to instill within him a sense of honor and duty. Despite the burden he bears as leader he can also be quite playful outside of direct battle. He enjoys bringing the best out of himself and his friends. He has a relationship with Trini Kwan, the Yellow Ranger, that they have kept secret from their friends. He often fights with his Power Sword and a ranger shield."

Red Ranger armor designed by DavidFernandezArt on deviantart.

Trini Kwan is played by Jamie Chung.

Yellow Ranger armor designed by DavidFernandezArt on deviantart.

Billy Cranston is played by Anton Yelchin. Profile below by BadDogg on deviantart.

"William "Billy" Reginald Cranston III- The Blue Triceratops Ranger. Code named Horn. Billy is a Mensa certified genius. His IQ is 203. Billy was born in Manchester, England. His father was a theoretical physicist that moved all around the world. As such, Billy didn't live in one place for very long. Eventually, he settled down and took a job as an engineer in Angel Grove. Billy hides his accent, though it surfaces when he is upset. He specializes in logistics and the development of weapons and tech. His lab spans two entire levels of the Command Center, one for creating and another for testing. Billy is fairly shy around people, other than his friends. As the Blue Ranger, he is noticeably more confident. Billy has a habit of letting his mind outrun his morals."

Blue Ranger armor designed by DavidFernandezArt on deviantart.

Kimberly Hart is played by Ashley Greene. (This is very likely, as the reboot is produced by Lionsgate and Summit Entertainment) Profile below by BadDogg on deviantart.
 

"Kimberly Ann Hart- The Pink Pterodactyl Ranger. Code named Wing. Kim is the smallest ranger. She has a very wicked tongue and is quick to use it if you insult her or her friends. She considers herself a fashionista and admits that she can sometimes be a brat when things don't go her way. She wields the Power Bow, which fires bolts of plasmic energy, but she also has a quiver that contains exploding arrows. She also uses a variety of sniper rifles. She specializes in long range combat and recon. Kimberly tends to be ruthless in comparison to the other rangers and isn't big on second chances."

Pink Ranger armor designed by DavidFernandezArt on deviantart.

Zach Taylor is played by Brandon T. Jackson. Profile below by BadDogg on deviantart.
 

"Zachary Taylor- The Black Mastodon Ranger. Code named Tusk. Zach is Jason's second in command of the Earth Rangers and specializes in demolition and guerilla warfare. Zach is far more easy-going than Jason and prefers a go-with the flow style of leading and planning. He was born in Chicago and was a member of a gang there, before his parents moved in hopes of putting Zach on a better path. He's a practioner of Capoeira and is constantly seen dancing as he fights enemies. This, coupled with his quick wit, has made him one of the public's favorite rangers. He also uses a number of magically and technologically advanced axes and hatchets. He has a rivalry with the Nasty Knight, one of the strongest bounty hunters in Rita Repulsa's employ."

 

Black Ranger armor designed by DavidFernandezArt on deviantart.

Tommy Oliver is played by Taylor Kitsch. (alternate choice Emile Hirsch)

As Ranger fans know, Tommy Oliver is the acquaintance & evil Green Ranger spoken of in my synopsis.


Green Ranger armor designed by DavidFernandezArt on deviantart.

The Dragon Dagger (and the Sword of Darkness) is given to Tommy by Rita, which allows him to control the powerful Dragonzord. Dragon Dagger design from “Zordon of Eltar”.


Ranger Rivalry by BadDogg

 



"I'm going to leave you frozen here and free Jason of his guilt”, Zach roared as his axe sparked against the Sword of Darkness.

"Sputter and drown , Black Ranger. Only one of us is walking away from this fight and it isn't going to be you", Tommy snarled back. The ground cracks beneath them as they summon up their elements. Sub-zero temperatures leave the area behind Zach frozen solid. Dark water rises from the lake to protect the Green Ranger.

Empress Rita conditioned the once pure Tommy into a weapon for evil. She took the ranger with the purest heart and the most potential to prove that even the best would fall before her might. Then she set Tommy against his former friends to breed anger and hatred. The bitterness formed of her actions is most apparent in these two rangers. Consumed by guilt at Tommy's fate and frustation towards Jason's spiral into depression, Zachary Taylor unleashes his fury on the closest outlet, The Evil Green Ranger."

 

David Trueheart is played by Jason David Frank. Frank played Tommy Oliver in the original “MMPR”. His casting is in reference to Peter Cullen reprising the voice of Optimus Prime in the “Transformers” films. Profile below by BadDogg on deviantart.
 

"David Trueheart- The White Tiger Ranger. Code named Stripe. Unlike the other original rangers, David doesn't utilize Mighty Morphin' Power. He uses the power of Thunder to charge his weapons and armor. He specializes in melee combat and tracking. He normally teams up with Kimberly on tracking missions. He's spent most of his life on the Reno Sparks Indian reservation. Both David and his brother Tommy are of Paiute descent. After graduating high school, David took a year off traveling across the country. David is a sophomore at Angel Grove University. His major is illustration. David is on the laid-back side and doesn't anger easily."

White Ranger armor designed by DavidFernandezArt on deviantart.


Zordon's Sword from “Zordon of Eltar”.


Megazord, Dragonzord & New + Improved

The Megazord here is redesigned by BadDogg. In addition, and since he made the Green and White Rangers separate characters, and brothers at that, he also designed the Dragon-Tiger Megazord.


The Megazord retains its classic design, but is also stripped of its original bulkiness. Redesign by JesusAConde on deviantart.


This redesign from “Zordon of Eltar” also streamlines the Dragonzord design, but retains its classic image.



Morphers & Power Coins

The redesigned morpher (a virtual display pad), where now the Ranger transformation occurs by placing the Power Coins in the center. Design from “MMPR”.

Power Coins by BadDogg.


 

Mentors

Saba, no longer simply the White Ranger's sentient sword, is now a J.A.R.V.I.S.-esque A.I. that controls all of Zordon's technology.


Zordon before arriving on Earth, and during the battle on Eltar. Image from “Zordon of Eltar”.

Zordon as seen by the five. Image from “Zordon of Eltar”.


Alpha 5, from “Zordon of Eltar”.

 

Villains



Goldar by johnsalvino on deviantart. 



Rita Repulsa from “Zordon of Eltar”.



Lord Zedd from “MMPR”.

 

So, with the above compilation in mind, you have what I'd like to see from a “Power Rangers” reboot, with the mythos of the original “Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers” firmly in mind. Out of all the vintage childhood icons that have seen a cinematic rebirth in recent years, “Power Rangers” means the most to me, as it was my childhood. I'd like to thank all the artists credited for their incredible work, since, if I was a potential director, and shepherding the project, this is what I would consider. For more detailed info from certain artists, check out the links below:
 

http://baddogg.deviantart.com/

 

https://www.facebook.com/MMPRfilm

 

https://www.facebook.com/zordonfanfilm

We Are the Power Rangers” by DavidFernandezArt on deviantart.

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Optimist18
Optimist18 - 8/16/2014, 3:09 AM
@ComicBookConnections,

Hi! Yeah, I felt a little unsure of the artist's choice for Jason too, but I ran with it, as Liam isn't an awful choice by any means. Someone else suggested Channing Tatum, but we know how most people feel about casting him in anything...
TheSoulEater
TheSoulEater - 8/16/2014, 4:13 AM
Wow

Yup, I'm for this
MrDonut
MrDonut - 8/16/2014, 4:21 AM
Very cool cast, don't agree with all of them (not all could pass as teens), and personally would love Donald Glover to be the Blue Ranger (don't see why there cant be two black rangers), but solid work and loving the designs you've used, definite thumbs up!

Hope when you get the chance, you check out my Men in Black cast;
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/Room20/news/?a=105887
kong
kong - 8/16/2014, 5:29 AM
We're really making the black ranger Black, and the yellow ranger Asian?





UltimateCookie
UltimateCookie - 8/16/2014, 6:05 AM
@RedNTheHood
The quasi-racism is part of the nostalgia in my opinion.

@Optimist18 The fancast is pretty basic with no choices I haven't seen before to be honest. Donald Glover for Black Ranger and Jamie Chung is WAY overused for any Asian character in my opinion.
SwanRonson
SwanRonson - 8/16/2014, 6:56 AM
Great cast and even better concept art. Those costumes are bloody brilliant.

I would change the ethnicity up a bit in coordination to their color schemes. Nostalgia or not it's racist.
kong
kong - 8/16/2014, 7:05 AM
@CookieKid247 @SuperDude001

That's like remaking a Spider-Man movie and basing it off of a story form the 60's, then having a bunch of racist stuff about blacks and saying "I kept it because it's a part of the nostalgia of the 60's"

Also it was a joke, and I don't think they should do that. Despite how much you think, the people who love and remember the original Power Rangers are in the few and are a VERY small fraction of the people who will see this movie (assuming it does well as a summer blockbuster). The mainstream audience will have that stick out to them and people (in these days) will protest it, say the film is racist, and that it's not PC. You remember that 9/11 thing with the TMNT poster, and I don't think this would be any different, at least in the U.S.

The only way it could be pulled off is if they use it as joke and with Brandon T. Jackson as the Black Ranger it could work well since that's the type of humor he's great at using.
kong
kong - 8/16/2014, 10:28 AM
@SuperDude001

I personally don't care enough about MMPR to really be mad about them sticking to the original character's race or not. Honestly I think it'd be cool for them to keep the mythos of MMPR but with be characters. If they did that it's just feel like a modern day sequel and or one of the shows they output with are cast in movie form. I think keeping same characters but changing some races or even just changing their colors would be good as well.

I wasn't completely serious with the comment though, despite that all of the ideas are solid and the cast is great!!! Though Hemsworh and Yelchin are casted A LOT in these roles.
UltimateCookie
UltimateCookie - 8/16/2014, 10:39 AM
@RedNTheHood
You have a point. As much as I would love for them to stick to the tropes of the original series I can't expect them to do that without backlash. They could however make it a joke or even say the new cast (whoever they are) will be relatives of the original MMPR. Donald Glover>Brandon T. Jackson though.
SimplyAz
SimplyAz - 8/16/2014, 12:02 PM
Awesome...........!!!
UltimateCookie
UltimateCookie - 8/16/2014, 12:20 PM
Taylor Lautner would be good, He's the only person from Twilight who's acting I find enjoyable.
BlackIceJoe
BlackIceJoe - 8/16/2014, 3:02 PM
You might like what this link says.

http://www.enstarz.com/articles/43248/20140806/power-rangers-movie-reboot-liam-hemsworth-chloe-grace-moretz-circling-lead-roles-liam-neeson-also-rumored-video.htm

As for your picks I do think Taylor Kitsch would be an interesting choice. He has had some misfires in his career, but I personally think he's a good actor. I also like the picks of Ashley and Anton. Both I think need more movie role. More so Anton though. I still wonder what his career would be like if George Miller's Justice League: Mortal came out. He was to play Wally West, sadly that didn't happen.

This movie has so much potential to be a hit, that I'll be disappointed if this movie becomes a dud. I personally think even if the movie is crap it will do every well. I do wonder who they will get to direct the movie. I'd like to see Carl Erik Rinsch get the job, I just don't see that happening. His last movie failed at the box office. He is good though at using robots in films and even has made a sword fighting movie.
Optimist18
Optimist18 - 8/16/2014, 4:52 PM
WOW! HOLY COMMENT DUMP BATMAN!

Thanks everyone for all the comments. To all those who gave positive feedback I'd like to say THANK YOU!

@RedNTheHood, I think regarding that whole issue, people need to step back and think about who's the one really being racist. Until I discovered the Internet, I had no idea the yellow ranger being Asian, and the black ranger being Black as racist statements was a thing. I was the Black Ranger for Halloween one year for crying out loud! I wouldn't mind Donald Glover being the Blue Ranger at all, so thanks to @MrDonut for that suggestion. The fan-film "MMPR" has also done something similar, but they made the Blue Ranger a woman, which I could get behind too.

I also want to remind everyone that this is a compilation of various ideas from around the web, and I just put them all in a melting pot.
Optimist18
Optimist18 - 8/16/2014, 4:56 PM
@SuperDude001,

I appreciate the cast criticisms. And I also like your defense of the ethnicities. :)
Optimist18
Optimist18 - 8/16/2014, 4:59 PM
@BlackIceJoe,

That's very cool. I can get behind both Hemsworth and Moretz. Neeson as Zordon though, would just add to the cliche that has become Liam's career, unfortunately.
Optimist18
Optimist18 - 8/16/2014, 5:02 PM
Also, @MrDonut, your point about them not passing for teens was foremost on my mind. That's why I called them "young adults". ;)
MrDonut
MrDonut - 8/16/2014, 5:52 PM
Lol, initially missed that but yh, with that in mind most of the castings work, but the concepts you have; that won me over more so.
Optimist18
Optimist18 - 8/16/2014, 6:04 PM
@MrDonut,

It's cool, bro. I think the images were what everyone paid the most attention to anyway. If you want to see more from those concepts check out all the artists I credited on deviantart. The last three links in the article are where I got most of my information.
MrDonut
MrDonut - 8/17/2014, 4:27 AM
Will defo have to give those deviantartists a look
NeatoBurrito
NeatoBurrito - 8/17/2014, 3:03 PM
why Brandon T. Jackson
hes pretty bad
SigmaCenturion
SigmaCenturion - 8/17/2014, 5:44 PM
Those concepts are good. I'm amped to see the Power Rangers on the big screen.
Optimist18
Optimist18 - 8/18/2014, 5:56 PM
@NeatoBurrito,

Who would you suggest, my friend?
Optimist18
Optimist18 - 8/18/2014, 5:57 PM
@SigmaCenturion,

Totally agree. As am I bro, as am I.
Shadow11
Shadow11 - 8/18/2014, 8:12 PM
@Optimist18

You have a great fan cast for the Power Rangers reboot and considering the reboot is supposed to be happening fairly soon, there were some choices I agreed with, some I didn't but hey to each his own

Liam Hemsworth as Jason/Red Ranger I actually agree with this pick a whole lot, so you actually get no argument from me

But as for Trini/Yellow Ranger I would go with Brenda Song not that I would disagree with Jamie Chung because I believe she would be perfect but definitely Brenda Song gets my pick even though I would not be opposed to Chung being casted in the role

As Billy/Blue Ranger I would go with Anton Yelchin as well, he would be perfect in this role so you get no argument from me

As Kimberly/Pink Ranger I would go with Emma Roberts or Lily Collins in the role not that I would disagree with Ashley Greene being casted but with Roberts or Collins in the role they would do wonders

As Zack/Black Ranger instead of Brandon T Jackson in the role, I would go with Donald Glover

As Tommy/Green Ranger I would go with Max Irons, Jeremy Irons' son in the role because if you have seen this guy he definitely can act especially because hello look at who his parents are, namely his father but also Max is a great actor too in his own right and with him playing Tommy he would be able to put an interesting spin on the role

David Trueheart, the White Tiger Ranger, Jason David Frank returning for the MMPR reboot, makes sense casting wise so no argument from me there

But for Zordon, as for who should play Zordon, definitely Liam Neeson should

But for the MMPR reboot they definitely need to make it gritty but also give it more of that classic MMPR feel to it
Optimist18
Optimist18 - 8/18/2014, 8:37 PM
@Shadow11,

Thank You so much bro for the constructive criticism. I appreciate it so much. :)

I initially was taken aback when I saw the Hemsworth casting choice, but since the artist had already made choices I agreed with, I went along with it. I like it more and more when I think about it.

My main problem with Brenda Song is that I can't see past her character on "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody", who was, simply put, a spoiled, dumb b****. But hey, maybe she has it in her.

For Anton, I warmed up to the idea much sooner than I did for Hemsworth. I originally liked the Matthew Gray Gubler suggestion I found elsewhere.

Emma & Lilly would be fine, but I have a bit of a personal bias towards Ashley cuz, you know, I have a crush. ;) (Same with Jamie Chung)

Donnie would be fine too. :)

Max would certainly be an interesting choice. I'd have to see him in action before I made a decision though.

Some have suggested that JDF returning in a mentor capacity would be cool too. I just really liked the idea of brother Rangers, and it would be a neat reference to "MMPR" & "Zeo".

I think having Neeson as Zordon would just cement the cliche of him playing a mentor or a badass all the time. I like the choice of Ian McShane from another fancast.

As for tone, don't make it too gritty. I'd prefer something like "The Winter Soldier" or (hopefully) "Age of Ultron". In other words, serious when it needs to be, but with appropriate comedic relief. :)

Optimist18
Optimist18 - 8/20/2014, 2:46 AM
@ComicBookConnections,

I'd be open to seeing Lautner as Jason/RR. Whoever they end up casting I'll be interested in seeing how they do.

You might be right about JDF & Petyfer. But I haven't seen Petyfer in anything, so I can't confirm or deny how well the pairing would work.

I'll also admit that, in hindsight, a lot of these picks I liked because of their visual resemblance to the original actors.
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