Warning: MAJOR spoilers ahead for Power Rangers! Don't read any further if you have not seen the reboot of the teenagers with attitude!
We've seen many substandard reboots and remakes in the last few years, and as such, nobody ever expected Dean Israelite's Power Rangers to work as well as it did. Kicking off a brand new franchise when it debuted in March, Power Rangers succeeded by striking the right balance between old and new. The post-credits scene for the superhero origin story teased the imminent introduction of fan-favorite character, Tommy Oliver, but the cast of the new series wants to see one particular thing changed about the hero: his gender. Yellow Ranger actress Becky G recently opened up and explained why the cast hopes to see a female Tommy in the next movie, saying:
[Me and my castmates] talk about this all the time. We agree that it should be a girl. I think it would be so cool because we have yet to see that. Obviously, Power Rangers has been around for a very long time, but I feel like it'd be so dope if she was a chick.
Becky G's recent comments to The Mary Sue echo what other members of the Power Rangers cast admitted when the film premiered in March: they want Tommy Oliver to enter the fray, and they want Tommy to be played by a woman. This will obviously represent a fundamental change for the franchise if the filmmakers opt to make that alteration to the character in a future installment. Jason David Frank (who actually has a cameo in the Power Rangers film) famously played the role of Tommy for the better part of two decades, taking him from the Green Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to the Black Ranger in Power Rangers Dino Thunder. He has the longest tenure of any Ranger in the history of the franchise and has easily become the biggest fan-favorite from the Mighty Morphin team -- which is an argument for or against making him a girl, depending on your perspective.
We wouldn't be surprised to see the Power Rangers franchise make such a drastic change to Tommy's gender in a future film. In its first outing, the newly rebooted Saban series has clearly shown no qualms about altering these beloved characters. Between changing the races of several Rangers, making Trini bisexual, and making Billy autistic, the Power Rangers franchise has already shifted away from what fans recognize by a wide margin. To make Tommy a girl would further embrace that approach, and allow the franchise to have some breathing room from Jason David Frank's portrayal of the character.
Only time will tell if the Power Rangers franchise will embrace this degree of change and proceed with a female Tommy Oliver. For now, make sure to get Dean Israelite's teenage superhero flick when it debuts on Digital HD on June 13, and Blu-ray on June 27.
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