Elizabeth Banks cast as Power Rangers villain Rita Repulsa
Lionsgate has officially announced that actress Elizabeth Banks (The Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect) has signed on to play the villain in the upcoming Power Rangers reboot. Banks will play the iconic Power Rangers villain Rita Repulsa, an evil witch previously imprisoned for thousands of years with plans to conquer Earth.
Dacre Montgomery will lead the team as Jason aka the Red Ranger with RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and The Dying Girl) as Billy the Blue Ranger, Naomi Scott (The Martian, “Terra Nova”) as Kimberly aka the Pink Ranger, Ludi Lin as Zack aka the Black Ranger, and musician Becky G. as Trini aka the Yellow Ranger.
Screenwriters Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller (X-Men: First Class, Thor) wrote the screenplay for Power Rangers, which is described as a modern reinvention of the long-running franchise. In it, a group of ordinary high school kids find themselves infused with extraterrestrial powers and must harness those powers as a team to save the world. Original creator Haim Saban is acting as producer along with Brian Casentini and Allison Shearmur.
Saban’s “Power Rangers” franchise is the brainchild of Haim Saban, creator and producer of the original “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” hit series that launched in 1993. Following its introduction, “Power Rangers” quickly became the most-watched children’s television program in the United States and remains one of the top-rated and longest running boys live-action series in television history. The series follows the adventures of a group of ordinary teens who “morph” into superheroes and save the world from evil. It is seen in more than 150 markets around the world, translated into numerous languages and is a mainstay in the most prominent international children’s programming blocks.
20th Century Fox previously released two feature films, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie in 1995 and Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie in 1997.
Set to be directed by Project Almanac‘s Dean Israelite, Power Rangers will debut in theaters on March 24, 2017.
(Photo credit: Brian To/WENN.com)
