Dean Israelite has been given the task of bringing the beloved kids television series Power Rangers to life on the big screen. A challenge that the 32-year old South African is attempting to grasp with both hands. Talking ahead of the March 24, 2017 premiere, the filmmaker was quizzed about the difficulty in providing nostalgia to the old guard and offering something fresh all in one hit.
"Ultimately it's just about making the characters very interesting," he begins, "and making their stories really compelling, and making the arc of the movie really fun and exciting. If all of that retains the spirit of the origin story of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers then I think you're servicing the fans hopefully. And you're bringing in new fans who didn't know about it who are along for that ride... There's a lot of Easter eggs and I think some of those are going to go over people's heads but it doesn't matter... If you have knowledge of the brand then it means a little bit more and if you don't, it's still working in the moment."
A 'Sort Of' End Credits Will Tease A Sequel
Anytime a motion picture undergoes major script problems, then the outcome is rarely positive. Like any professional in the business, the director was matter of fact about the speed bumps.
"The script changed a lot, but the spirit of what I pitched and tonally what I pitched, I really think is on screen," he argued. "That's very fulfilling for me that I felt like I ultimately knew what I wanted it to be and through collaboration and help and extremely talented people, we were able to achieve that."
Following in the tradition mastered by Marvel, he also revealed that there will be a little something special after the screen cuts to the credits.
"It was always gonna be a coda. It was always gonna be sort of a post-credits scene. The only thing that we debated about that was where it comes two and a half minutes into the - after the main one ends, or is it gonna come right at the end of the credits. So we decided to kind of break the credits up."
Dean: Not Easy Convincing Bryan Cranston To Be A Face On A Wall
It might come as a shock to learn that Bryan Cranston actually had a part in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, suited up as the villain Snizzard. The award winner would go onto critical acclaim for his role in the AMC smash hit Breaking Bad, as the director outlined how difficult it was to pitch for his inclusion as Zordon.
"You obviously have casting lists and you have people on the list and he was always at the top of the list... It was a pretty hard sell: 'Come aboard this movie, you're a face on the wall!' So we went out to Bryan. I wrote him a letter. We showed him a sizzle reel. We gave him a script. He really responded to the script... I showed him a bunch of scenes and he really liked what we were doing."
Source: Collider
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