Last month it was announced that Bryan Cranston is to play Zordon in Lionsgate’s upcoming Power Rangers movie, and the actor has been discussing his casting in an interview with The Huffington Post. Cranston – who provided voice work for the first season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers – revealed that he was initially reluctant to join the project, fearing that it would have a similar tone to that of the TV show, but was convinced after seeing how they plan to reimagine the beloved franchise for a new audience.
“At first I was, to be honest with you, I was reticent to looking at the role because I remember the television series was kind of farcical and silly and ‘pow’ and ‘zow’ — weird movements and things like that. I was like, ‘Oh, OK,’” said Cranston. “I wasn’t really high on it until I talked to the producer and read the script and talked to the director. After that I went, ‘This is different.’ This is as different a reimagining as the Batman television series as it became the Batman movie series. You can’t compare those two, and nor can you compare this movie version of the Power Rangers to that television series. It’s unrecognizable for the most part. There are tenets of the folklore that you hold onto for sure, but the inspiration is different, and the sensibility of it, and the approach to the film making is completely different.”
SEE ALSO: First teaser poster for Power Rangers
“I don’t know if the tone is as dark as [The Dark Knight Trilogy] because you’re dealing with teenagers,” he continued. “So the appropriateness of that, and real teenage life, and going through high school and the cliques and the popularity or lack thereof, and the bullies and all the different sections and sub-sections of high school life, and the insecurities of these kids and things like that — hopes and dreams — and you embrace all of that into a retelling of the Power Rangers. And what you would get is this new version, this new reimagined version.”
So, Power Rangers fans, are you looking forward to this reimagined version of the franchise? Let us know your thoughts on Cranston’s comments below…
Power Rangers is set for release on March 24th 2017 and will star Becky G as the Yellow Ranger, Ludi Lin as the Black Ranger, Naomi Scott as the Pink Ranger, Dacre Montgomery as the Red Ranger, R.J. Cyler as the Blue Ranger, Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa and Bryan Cranston as Zordon.
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Originally published July 9, 2016. Updated March 2, 2020.
