With each passing day, fans are getting just a little bit more information on Lionsgate's upcoming reboot, Power Rangers. Unfortunately, movies posters, stills of Rita Repulsa and promo images of the Rangers' new suits (like those on display at the Brazilian Licensing Expo last week) will be all fans have to whet their Power Rangers appetite until the trailer releases -- rumored to drop sometime to in early October.
The original cast for the television show Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was Austin St. John as Jason Lee Scott the Red Ranger, David Yost as Billy Cranston the Blue Ranger, Amy Jo Johnson as Kimberly Hart the Pink Ranger, Thuy Trang as Trini Kwan the Yellow Ranger, Walter Jones as Zack Taylor the Black Ranger and in later episodes, Jason David Frank as Tommy Oliver the Green, then White Ranger. Most of them make appearances at various conventions around the country, with the exception of Thuy Trang who tragically died during a car accident in 2001.
During a recent convention the guys over at Audibly Exquisite caught up with former Black Ranger Walter Jones (who created his own fighting style for the show called Hip-Hop-Kido -- see it in action HERE), where they talked to him about his favorite monsters from the show, his time working with Trang and his thoughts on writer Max Landis' (Chronicle) rumored original script. They also asked him,"What's the possibility we're going to see a cameo from Mister Walter Jones?"
"It's not likely. Unfortunately, we were not invited to be part of the film, which is...confusing to me, but I'm excited for the film nevertheless."
Though they're all grown up and involved in various other projects -- Frank is an accomplished MMA fighter, St. John is an Emergency Medical Technician, while Johnson still acts -- each of them were invited to guest starred in the 20th anniversary reunion show in 2013, though Frank was the only one to appear - St. John and Johnson declined for unknown reasons, while Yost declined the invitation (he was fired after walking off the set in protest, saying the crew was harassing him for being gay). Jones also declined the invitation in support of Yost.
At first glance, it could be irritating to fans that the original six cast members weren't included in some fashion, even Trang. After all, Paul Feig managed to sneak in a classy cameo of the late-Harold Ramis into the Ghostbusters reboot early this summer. However, knowing that Yost and Jones had previously declined an invitation to a major reunion show not more than three years ago may have influenced the studio and producers' decision in leaving the cast out of this updated incarnation of the Power Rangers. There's no word yet on why the film opted to exclude the actors from the film, but we'll keep you updated with any news on that front.
Power Rangers stars Nami Scott (The Martian) as the Pink Ranger, Becky G. as the Yellow Ranger, RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) as the Blue Ranger, Ludi Lin (Marco Polo) as the Black Ranger, and Dacre Montgomery as the Red Ranger. It’s directed by Dean Israelite (Project Almanac) and written by Ashley Miller (X-Men: First Class), Zack Stentz (Thor), John Gatins (Real Steel), Matt Sazama (Gods of Egypt) and Burk Sharpless (Dracula Untold).
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Saban’s Power Rangers will open in U.S. theaters on March 24, 2017.
Source: Audibly Exquisite