Back on March 18, 2014, I decided to post an idea I had for a rebooted Power Rangers cinematic film series, on the Official Power Rangers Facebook page.

Months later, in June, LionsGate and Saban announced they are moving forward with a new Power Rangers movie. Surprised, and hoping my idea wasn’t taken without giving me any credit at all, I emailed & called Lionsgate, with no reply or answer. Recently, the writers of X-Men: First Class were announced to pen the new Power Rangers movie. Knowing they can write anything better then I could ever come up with, I gave up bothering LionsGate and let my dream of seeing a Power Ranger movie I created die, especially since I was such a huge fan of it as a kid. Lately, I’ve been thinking about the idea I would’ve had for a Power Rangers movie. I listed 5 things the new Power Rangers movie needs:

5)IT NEEDS TO BE A REBOOT

Rumors are swirling that the new “Power Rangers” movie won’t be a reboot, but a continuation of the original series. We don’t need to see a “what are they up to now” movie, or a “passing of the torch” film, we need it to go back and be completely redone. We need to see an origin story that builds upon the mythology of the series, even if it means making some up. I would love to see Zordon with a physical body pursuing Rita to Earth, with a team of Power Rangers he’s leading as the White Ranger (that will end up being Tommy later). Zordon and his Rangers track Rita and her henchmen, Baboo, Finster, Squat, and Goldar, to ancient Egypt, where she used her magic to conjure up the ultimate monster, King Sphinx. The Rangers sacrificed themselves to defeat the King Sphinx, while Zordon locked Rita and her henchmen, in a dumpster and launched it into space, where it crash lands on the moon. The Great Sphinx monument is then built over the body of the King Sphinx, along with Rita’s staff!

4)NEEDS REPUTABLE ACTORS

While many movie companies like to cast unknowns as main characters, especially since they’re cheaper then big name actors, they still need a few respected popular stars that will give whatever film they’re in the push it needs to attract audiences. For Power Rangers, I’d like to see big names in the roles of Zordon, Rita and Alpha. Zordon should be played by Liam Neeson. Neeson was Zeus, mentored Obi Wan Kenobi, trained Batman, and lead the A-Team. He’d be the perfect actor to lead five “teenagers with attitude” against the forces of evil. Seeing him in the White Ranger suit at the beginning of the film would be awesome, but as the giant face, speaking like Qui-Gon Jinn, would be as pleasing to the ears as Morgan Freeman’s narrating skills. For Rita, Helena Bonham Carter should strap on the cone bra and funny hat, and for Alpha 5, Paul Rubens would be the right actor to voice the timid little bot, especially in Peewee Herman’s voice.

3)NEEDS UNKNOWNS

While big name actors are perfect for attracting audiences, unknowns are better for giving the roles a face. What I mean by that is, if they decided to cast Robert Pattinson as Jason, the Red Ranger, many kids would pretty much see Edward from Twilight. But if they pick someone no one knows, when they whip out the iconic morphers, they will be forever know as whatever ranger they are, and from then on, if they are brilliant in their portrayal, their career will see a substantial boost, but they’ll always be known as the Ranger they played. Same thing happened to Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man) and Logan Lerman (Percy Jackson). Also, unknowns are cheaper and usually sign on for more than one film, keeping the sequels constant with the same actors. If there’s one thing I hate when I see a sequel is a recast character like Todd in Kick-Ass 2 and Hulk in Avengers (even though Ruffalo did extremely well).

2)CAMEOS

If there’s one thing fans love, it’s noticing cameos, such as Stan Lee in the Marvel films. It’s always fun trying to spot Stan the Man in each Marvel movie, and by far, his best cameo is in The Amazing Spider-Man. For the Power Rangers, it’d be fun trying to spot the original Rangers in different roles. One I would love to see, which will help plant seeds for future sequels, is Jason David Frank playing a trainer to the new Tommy. I don’t want Tommy to become the Green Ranger until the 2nd movie and I don’t want him to be corrupted by magic. I’d rather him to start off as a bully, leading Bulk and Skull as they pick on nerdy Billy. I want him to have a beef with Jason, which comes to a close in the first film with a fight between the two at the youth center.

As Tommy calls out Jason, Tommy’s trainer stops the fight an convinces the two enemies to fight in the ring, inside the Center’s gym. Tommy’s trainer (Jason David Frank, the original Green Ranger) taught him Mixed Martial Arts, while Jason only knows Tae Kwon Do. When the two rivals agree to fight in the ring, Tommy viscously beats Jason and is stopped and scolded by his trainer. As Tommy storms off, the trainer helps Jason up and explains that Tommy has a tough life, and he’s been trying to get him to learn discipline because he knows, at heart, Tommy’s a good kid. The trainer also complements Jason’s fighting skills and offers to train him, to which Jason respectfully declines.

1)ADULT THEME

Although many might not consider Transformers the best movie ever, it is an awesomely entertaining and action-packed “joy ride”, pun intended, with lots of robot killing robot fight scenes, and “LOL” moments. While Transformers was a cartoon aimed at kids back in the day, the movie had lots of humor and suggestive themes made for the same fans who literally “grew up” with the series. They were still able to sell millions of toys and make even more money in theaters. Power Rangers can do the same thing. If the humor and action is aimed at the original fans who watched the TV series, it’ll keep them wanting to see it more, they’ll tell their friends, and word will spread, even if the picture got bad reviews from film critics. Most of the original fans are in their 30s and have children of their own, and if the cinematic experience is as entertaining for the adult as it is for the children, then they succeeded in bringing Power Rangers back to life.

Another movie the new Power Rangers film could learn from is Pacific Rim. The Jäegers, giant robots built to fend of Kaiju, equally massive monsters spreading destruction across the world from a rift in the sea. In Pacific Rim, two cocky Jäeger pilots underestimate a Kaiju, resulting in one of the pilots death. The other pilot, the brother of the man killed, left the Kaiju war until he was convinced to return. Needing a new “drift-compatible” co-pilot, the man chose a young woman who was orphaned by an attacking Kaiju when she was younger. Together they learn how to work together and complete the drift, eventually defeating a couple Kaiju and closing the rift at the bottom of the sea, saving the world, for now. Pacific Rim was literally about connection and team work. Finding the right person who you can work with in order to overcome a grave threat. Pacific Rim humanized their characters more then Transformers was able to. Even though “Rim” took place sometime in the future, the characters were much more relatable then Shia LaBeouf’s Sam. Combining Transformers (the humor and fast-paced action) with Pacific Rim (humanized drama and good acting) will make Power Rangers a movie worth watching for all audiences.

If you’d like, click here to read my whole idea for a Power Rangers movie.

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