Bryan Cranston Says The POWER RANGERS Movie Is "Impressive;" Teases Zordon's Dynamic With The New Team
While we await a second theatrical trailer for Lionsgate's highly anticipated Power Rangers reboot, we a have a very promising update from one of the film's stars - Bryan Cranston! Come take a look!
Bryan Cranston recently made an appearance at the Television Critics Association tour to promote his upcoming animated series SuperMansion, and during the event, he shared a few juicy details about his upcoming role as Zordon in the Power Rangers movie.
First, speaking with The A.V. Club, Cranston let it slip that he's seen a good chunk of the movie, thanks to ongoing ADR sessions, and that he's been quite taken with what he's seen so far: "This movie is actually gonna be a big deal. I’ve seen a lot of it, because I’m doing ADR on it. And it’s impressive. Dean Israelite really has a nice touch. As big and as powerful as Power Rangers could be, he has a nice touch to keep it grounded, and real. I think it’s gonna turn some heads, I really do.” That should be music to the ears of many anxious fans.
In a separate much lengthier interview with IGN, the Academy Award-nominated actor elaborated on how he signed on for the part after receiving a call from his old boss, Power Rangers co-creator Haim Saban, who Cranston used to work for when he was just starting out in Hollywood as a voice over artist. Cranston provided voices for a number of live-action and animated shows that were being adapted for American audiences, including the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and was even honored by Saban when he named the original Blue Ranger, Billy Cranston, after him.
Despite his longtime working relationship with Saban, Cranston did have some reservations about signing on for a movie based on the popular '90s kids series, but a chat with Dean Israelite, who's helming the feature, quickly made him reconsider: "I thought, ‘Power Rangers? It’s kind of the [1960s] Batman television show - Pow! Zing! Whap!' And I had a phone call with the director and he said, ‘Think of it this way… Like Batman came from TV and became a completely different animal in the movies, so too is it here. We’re going to take this and revamp it and it’s going to be grounded and real.’ And I thought ‘Okay, with that, let me read it.’” Then, after actually reading the script, Cranston had a welcome change of heart: "I read it and went ‘You’re right... The kids sound like real kids and not everyone is this great athlete and everything is working out. I thought, 'This might be a nice bookend to what I was doing before,' since I started out doing voices.”
To close out the interview, Cranston teased the somewhat trying mentor/mentee relationship he'll share with the five teenagers with attitues and judging by his comments, it sounds like these new batch of heroes may require a bigger learning curve than their Mighty Morphin counterparts. “He is a frustrated mentor of these kids. They’re not advancing as I’d hoped. Some of them are not taking this seriously, the responsibility that has been placed upon them or that they have been chosen for. And yet, you’re a mentor. It’s almost like being a coach. You want to break down the individuality of them so that they can grow as a team.”
So, what do you guys think? Sound off with your thoughts below!
Saban's Power Rangers follows five ordinary high school kids who must become something extraordinary when they learn that their small town of Angel Grove – and the world – is on the verge of being obliterated by an alien threat. Chosen by destiny, our heroes quickly discover that they are the only ones who can save the planet. But to do so they will have to overcome their real-life issues and band together as the Power Rangers before it is too late.
Power Rangers features:
Director: Dean Israelite
Dacre Montgomery as Jason Lee Scott, the Red Ranger
Naomi Scott as Kimberly Hart, the Pink Ranger
Ludi Lin as Zack Taylor, the Black Ranger
RJ Cyler as Billy Cranston, the Blue Ranger
Becky Gomez as Trini Kwan, the Yellow Ranger
Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa
Bryan Cranston as Zordon
Bill Hader as Alpha 5
David Denman as Sam Scott
Anjali Jay as Maddy Hart
Emily Maddison as Rebecca
Patrick Sabongui as Mr. Kwan
Lisa Berry as Candace Cranston
Caroline Cave as Beverly Scott
Kayden Magnuson as Pearl Scott
Sarah Grey as Amanda
The Power Rangers say it's morphin' time once again March 24