The new Power Rangers movie is quietly moving closer toward its release date, and it doesn't feel like there's as much excitement for it as we'd originally thought. The film will adapt the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers TV series, and see a new group of actors take over the roles of Jason, Kimberly, Trini, Zack, and Billy. While the movie seems to honor the source material of the show while modernizing it, many fans have been wondering if the original cast of Rangers would be making a cameo appearance in the new film. The original Black Ranger, Walter Jones, has opened up about getting a cameo, and longtime fans might end up disappointed.
It's not likely. Unfortunately, we were not invited to be part of the film, which is confusing to me, but I'm excited about the film nevertheless.
Walter Jones appeared on the Audibly Exquisite podcast to talk about his career and - of course - Power Rangers. Once upon a time, Jones played Zack the Black Ranger in the original television series. That character will now be played by Ludi Lin in the big screen adaptation, and it sounds like Jones won't be getting a cameo. This could be a bummer for longtime fans who were at least hoping to see some form of recognition for the cast that popularized the property back in the early 90's.
While it's disappointing that the main cast wasn't even called about the movie, there could be a silver lining. Usually with reboots like this, the cameos can tend to be right in your face. For example, the new Ghostbusters had cameos from each surviving member of the original cast, and there was almost no subtlety. The movie went out of its way to say "HEY! Here's that guy you like! Remember him?", and the references to the old took away from the new. Sometimes it's best to just let the film stand on its own, which seems to be what Power Rangers is trying (though the original cast of Power Rangers is hardly as recognizable as anyone from Ghostbusters).
That's not to say that the film won't have its references- plenty elements from the show are making their way to the big screen. The main villain of the series, Rita Repulsa, will be in the film, played by Elizabeth Banks. Bryan Cranston will also be lending his talents as the Rangers mentor Zordon. Other elements said to be in the movie are Alpha 5 and the Rangers' trusty robot Zords, which combine to form the mighty Megazord.
The original cast may not get cameos, but you can see the new Power Rangers movie when it hits theaters on March 24, 2017.
