Superhero movies and comic book adaptations have quickly become the most popular genre in filmmaking. Between the Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Extended Universe, and X-Men franchise, there are new superhero blockbusters being released every few months. Aside from the behemoth franchises, there are also smaller passion projects coming from lesser known comic book characters. One of these is the upcoming Bloodshot movie, based off the Valiant Comics character of the same name. OG Green Power Ranger Jason David Frank had been vying for the role for years, playing Bloodshoot on Valiant's recent web series Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe. When stopping by CinemaBlend's shooting suite at San Diego Comic-Con, Frank told me how he felt about Diesel getting the role, saying:
I was a little sad that Vin Diesel is doing it. But he's Vin Diesel. He's filming the movie now in Africa. A huge, multi-million dollar movie.
Well, that's a serious bummer. After playing Bloodshoot and being the character's biggest cheerleader for mainstream success in the past few years, Valiant Comics ultimately ended up picking a bigger name to carry the Bloodshot movie. Vin Diesel is a great choice all things considered, with a massive action-heavy audience at his disposal thanks to The Fast and the Furious franchise and voicing Groot in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Jason David Frank may forever be Power Rangers' biggest icon Tommy Oliver, the actor/martial artist does want to play different characters. Given his athletic ability and experience playing Bloodshoot in the Valiant webseries, he seems like the perfect person to play Raymond Garrison on the silver screen. But studios like to cast names, and Vin Diesel's no doubt carries a bit more weight, despite JDF's ability to trigger nostalgic feelings with 90s kids everywhere.
In our same conversation, Jason David Frank mentioned how Vin Diesel's upcoming role might actually help the Power Rangers alum. Because if the movie is big, fans will no doubt want more of the white skinned badass, therefore hopefully inspiring them to check out Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe. Plus he wants a cameo. As Frank told me,
It's still good for me, though. Because here you have Vin Diesel, and I was the original Bloodshot. It's good. I'm hoping to do something small in that movie. I hope it all works out the way it was supposed to.
That's certainly a good way to look at it. Because Jason David Frank will always be royalty for the comic-con crowd, Vin Diesel's movie still has the potential to reintroduce him to mainstream audiences. Or it will be a flop, and then Tommy Oliver will be able to wash his hands clean of the project.
You can check out my full conversation with Jason David Frank about Bloodshot below.
Although you can sense Jason David Frank's disappointment in that video, he seems to have a good attitude about the Bloodshot situation. He's been in show business for years now, so the former Power Ranger understands how the cookie crumbles. Even if he's not happy about it.
Check out our 2018 release list to plan your next trip to the movies. Bloodshot will reportedly arrive sometime in 2020, hopefully with Jason David Frank at least having a cameo a la his brief appearance in the recent Power Rangers movie.
