'Power Rangers' is an upcoming action-adventure and science-fiction film based on the original 1990s television series of the same name. The actors will be getting a costume upgrade as revealed by director Dean Israelite. Actress Elizabeth Banks joins the new cast as the villain Rita Repulsa.
According to Comic Book, the famous Power Rangers costumes will be getting an edgy modern remake. Director Dean Israelite revealed, "From the very beginning, diversity was a very important part of the whole process... We switched all of the races around, but we made sure that the essence of each of those characters are who they were in the original show, and this really will be an origin story of those characters."
The new cast of characters playing the famous superhero team include Becky G as yellow ranger Trini Kwan, Naomi Scott as pink ranger Naomi Hart, RJ Cyler as blue ranger Billy Cranston, Dacre Montgomery as red ranger Jason Lee Scott, and Ludi Lin as black ranger Zack Taylor. The original television series from the 1990s featured an equally diverse cast including Thuy Trang, Amy Jo Johnson, David Yost, Austin St. John and Walter Jones in the lead roles.
In the photograph posted on Newsarama, the new 'Power Rangers' actors were shown in civilian clothes to reflect teenagers in the present age. Becky G was wearing shredded denim cut-offs and sneakers, Scott had on a leather jacket, and their counterparts had on their respective modern teen wear in vests, checkered polos and white t-shirts. The original series often showed the characters in their respective colors and this would not be the case in Israelite's cinematic reboot.
One of the most awaited casting announcements was that of Elizabeth Banks as the iconic villainess Rita Repulsa. According to Variety, the 'Hunger Games' actress will take on the biggest antagonist on the original series. She also tweeted, "After 10,000 years, I'm free! It's time to conquer Earth!!⚡️ Time to play #RitaRepulsa #PowerRangersMovie."
The original Rita was portrayed by Japanese actress Machiko Soga and she was depicted as an evil sorceress with a trademark screechy voice. Her elaborate costume included a headpiece that resembled horns and she always carried a staff with a moon at the crown.
'Power Rangers' is an upcoming reboot and cinematic adaptation of the popular '90s television series of the same name. It is directed by Dean Israelite with a screenplay penned by John Gatins, Max Landis, Ashley Miller, Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless and Zack Stentz. It is scheduled to be released on March 24, 2017.
