Home Entertainment Roberto Orci talks about the new POWER RANGERS movie

Roberto Orci talks about the new POWER RANGERS movie

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There was a time in the 1990’s where heroes on TV had completely immobile mouths but couldn’t talk without moving their hands to punctuate every syllable. A time where these heroes battled men dressed in the most fake looking rubber suits you’ve ever seen and it was still awesome. A time where minority characters were dressed in the colours most closely associated with their race*, and nobody started an internet petition about it. It was the time of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, and that time is coming back (hopefully without the kinda racial casting, of course).

power-ranger-heroes

As was recently announced, original producers Saban Entertainment are teaming up with Lionsgate to reboot Darryn’s favourite show as a kid (what, you thought he was dressing like Rita Repulsa all the time ironically?) as a big budget feature film, with Roberto Orci (Transformers, Star Trek) producing and X-Men: First Class writing duo Ashley Miller and Zack Stenz on scripting duties.

IGN caught up with Orci to discuss the movie and find out how they were approaching it – would this be aimed at the old fans, or trying to entice a new audience?

“Part of it is seeing what we remember of it; our generation and what our memories of it are. Part of it is seeing the fans of it today. There are a lot of kids that love it today, and so it’s about doing your homework. You talk to everybody who loves it and you find out why they love it and then you figure, what is the appropriate translation of that, tonally, to now? We have the added benefit of a movie is going to be two hours, or whatever it is, so it’s gotta have an arc and a reality to it that maybe you don’t have a chance to do all the time. That’s going to be the exciting part.”

So with that being said, does that mean that the new movie will be finding some inspiration in the original show and/or the most recent series?

“One of the first things we did was learn and read… [Saban Entertainment] have 600 pages of research that they have on their stuff. We read through the synopsis of everything they did and we are actually taking into account quite a bit of the canon in a real way. We’re not just a leave it behind reboot. [Creator Haim Saban] cares very much about that. This is something that he created. I had to go to his house, personally, to tell him, “Listen, I’m your man. Miller and Stenz, these are your guys. I promise you I won’t ruin your franchise.” And he said, “It’s very important to me, because kids around the world know what the Power Rangers are. So you can’t just come in here and walk all over it. It better be consistent with what I’ve been doing.” And I said, “Yes sir!””

And if that sounds to you like this is not 100% a fresh, clean slate reboot, it because it actually isn’t.

“It’s got a continuity within the world. I can’t tell you what, but it does have a continuity.”

Orci states that we shouldn’t expect to hear any further announcements for a while, as they now still need to get cracking on the film’s script. A script that hopefully includes lots of giant robot on giant robot action. And no, I don’t mean it like that, you perverts. That area is already covered by Darryn’s Megazord fan-fiction.

*Black Ranger is a black guy, Yellow Ranger is an Asian girl. Duh.

Last Updated: July 23, 2014

8 Comments

  1. [SUDDEN REALIZATION]

    I ONLY NOW got the yellow/black ranger reference!!! After all these years!!!!

    Wow, either I was brought up NOT to think like that or I never put 2 and 2 together….

    Reply

    • DBL_ZA

      July 23, 2014 at 08:50

      The internet hadn’t corrupted you yet

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief Saxon

        July 23, 2014 at 08:52

        Indeed, back then I had no idea about this internets?

        Reply

    • Spaffy

      July 23, 2014 at 08:57

      You mean brought up properly?

      Reply

      • Admiral Chief Saxon

        July 23, 2014 at 08:59

        You said it man

        Reply

    • Kervyn Cloete

      July 23, 2014 at 09:04

      My job here is done. *takes a bow*

      Reply

      • Rince&pop

        July 23, 2014 at 09:06

        You broke my mind!

        Reply

  2. Rince&pop

    July 23, 2014 at 09:04

    600 pages? The same script, times 600 times?

    Reply

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