Warning: There are spoilers ahead for Power Rangers and potential future movies! Read ahead at your own risk!
If there's one thing that we have learned about fandom over the course of the last few years, it's that changing even the smallest aspect of a character can make enormous waves. That said, times change and sometimes it's important to evolve a character based on the passage of time. With Power Rangers hitting theaters this weekend, the entire Mighty Morphin mythos is undergoing a significant shift, and now the cast has an idea to take the Power Rangers lore in a very different direction for future films. The mid-credits sequence in Dean Israelite's new reboot teases the arrival of Green Ranger Tommy Oliver, but the cast of the movie recently admitted to me that they want to see Tommy played by a girl. Red Ranger actor Dacre Montgomery elaborated:
Ludi was throwing around earlier today, which I agree with him, is that Tommy Oliver should be, could be played by a girl. For the OG fans, I think their hearts will be splitting if they're hearing me say that right now, but there's three guys, there's two girls, a third one in the mix. We all know Tommy Oliver had the, maybe a ponytail in the mix and I think that could be very good.
That would obviously be a notable shift in the Power Rangers status quo. Actor/MMA star Jason David Frank played Tommy Oliver for over two decades, and his tenure as the Green (and White, and Red, and Black) Ranger has made him an enduring icon in this franchise. People only know this character as a man, but maybe it's time for a change. I followed up on this topic with RJ Cyler and Becky G during another interview at the Power Rangers press junket, and they not only agreed with the idea, but they suggested the possibility of making the female Tommy a potential love interest for Billy Cranston in the next Power Rangers movie.
Before you freak out at the prospect of the Power Rangers franchise making such a significant change, it's worth pointing out that there's nothing about Tommy that inherently requires him to be a male character. The only real prerequisite for the character is that he/she needs to be a badass martial artist with a dark side. Beyond that, there's quite a bit of room to maneuver. Besides, nobody will complain about bringing more awesome female action heroes to the silver screen.
It's also worth mentioning the fact that making Tommy a girl (and romantically linking her with Billy) will make more sense for this franchise if Jason sticks around. Tommy was a love interest for Amy Jo Johnson's Kimberly after Jason left the team and Rocky filled his spot as Red Ranger, but in this new movie, there's definite chemistry between the Red Ranger and the Pink Ranger. If this newly rebooted franchise keeps Jason in the mix, then his romantic subplot with Kimberly should remain intact.
Check out the clip from my interview with the Power Rangers cast below to get a better sense of why they want to see such a massive change occur with such an iconic character.
Power Rangers will hit theaters on March 24. For more information concerning the rest of this year's major theatrical debuts, make sure to check out our comprehensive movie premiere guide.
