Bryan Cranston Talks 'Power Rangers' Movie Reboot & It's Darker Than 'Mighty Morphin'
Those 90s kids who grew up with the low budget-looking and exceedingly campy Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on television might have mixed feelings regarding the franchise's upcoming movie reboot, but the biggest star from the film, Bryan Cranston, is here to ease the spirits -- and tell everyone things are different this time around.
The Breaking Bad actor recently sat down with The Huffington Post to talk about his next projects, of course including his stint as Zordon, the guy who assembles the Rangers. Explaining that he had his doubts at first because of the "farcical and silly" quality of the original show, it turns out the reboot will also give the franchise a far more serious tone, something he didn't know until speaking to the people behind the movie and reading the script.
"This is as different a reimagining as the Batman television series as it became the Batman movie series. You can't compare those two, and nor can you compare this movie version of the Power Rangers to that television series," Cranston said. "It's unrecognizable for the most part. There are tenets of the folklore that you hold onto for sure, but the inspiration is different, and the sensibility of it, and the approach to the film making is completely different."
In other words, the upcoming movie should feel as different as Adam West's Caped Crusader does to Christian Bale's Dark Knight. While this is great if you're looking for an all-around satisfying movie, things might differ for those who are interested in the Power Rangers movie because they're nostalgic of their childhoods, as this will be different enough to be practically unrecognizable.
The last decade or so of Cranston's career has been one of the best any actor has had: besides his iconic role as Walter White/Heisenberg in AMC drama Breaking Bad, he also co-starred in the latest Godzilla movie, added an Oscar nomination to his name for Trumbo and recently played Lyndon B. Johnson in the HBO film All the Way, a role that already earned him a Tony a couple of years ago.
Cranston is only one of two big recognizable faces in the Power Rangers movie: actress and director Elizabeth Banks joined the cast a few months before he did, in the role of villain Rita Repulsa, a character that has gotten a complete makeover from the cheesy-looking one in the 90s show.
The Power Rangers movie, currently filming, will land in theaters on March 24, 2017.