The Fall Guy director David Leitch would be an incredible pick to helm a potential Power Rangers movie reboot, even more so because he already has a history with the TV show. The Power Rangers chronology includes three theatrical movies, although only one of them is canon to the main timeline. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie brought the franchise to the big screen for the first time, whereas Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie was “episode 0” of the Turbo season. Lastly, Power Rangers (2017) was meant to reboot the saga and launch a new film franchise.
Power Rangers (2017) did not perform well at the box office, and there hasn’t been a Power Rangers movie ever since. The saga has focused its efforts on the TV side of things, with Cosmic Fury’s ending concluding 30 years of storytelling in a nostalgic finale that even included Lord Zedd and the original Blue Ranger. With the Netflix Power Rangers show reportedly not moving forward, the saga’s future is unclear. Regardless, should a new film happen, Leitch would be the right filmmaker to do it in what would be his return to Power Rangers over two decades later.
David Leitch’s Power Rangers Role Explained
Leitch played Brian in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue (2000).
While most of David Leitch’s work in front of the camera was as a stunt performer, he also has a few acting credits. One of them is Brian in Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue episode 8 “Up to the Challenge.” The episode, which was centered on Chad Lee (played by Michael Chaturantabut), gave the Blue Ranger a new rival – Brian. Jealous about the way the Power Rangers were treated and wanting to prove himself in front of them, Brian challenged Chad to a fight. Although the Blue Ranger initially refused, he later made a fool out of Brian.
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue Team | |
---|---|
Character | Color |
Carter Grayson | Red Ranger |
Dana Mitchell | Pink Ranger |
Joel Rawlings | Green Ranger |
Chad Lee | Blue Ranger |
Kelsey Winslow | Yellow Ranger |
Ryan Mitchell | Titanium Ranger |
Now angry at the Blue Ranger and seeking revenge, Brian aligned himself with Vypra, one of the season’s main villains. Brian’s literal “deal with the devil” backfired, though, as Vypra started to control him with magic. Brian got a couple of cool fights against the Blue Ranger before the former broke out of the spell and realized he was in the wrong this whole time. “Up to the Challenge” made the most of Leitch’s talent as a stunt performer and delivered some great unmorphed fight scenes between him and Chaturantabut’s character.
Why David Leitch Would Be Great For A Power Rangers Movie
Leitch’s eye for action would suit Power Rangers perfectly.
The fact that David Leitch has directed several big-budget action movies and also has a history with the Power Rangers universe makes him the perfect pick to helm a potential Power Rangers movie reboot. Whenever Power Rangers returns to the big screen, it will need a director who can organically handle both action and comedy. Additionally, any Power Rangers project, regardless of the medium, needs to treat the action sequences with a lot of respect given the history of the franchise. Leitch’s career proves he would handle this challenge quite well.
David Leitch’s Movies | Year |
---|---|
John Wick* (co-directed with Chad Stahelski, uncredited) | 2014 |
Atomic Blonde | 2017 |
Deadpool 2 | 2018 |
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw | 2019 |
Bullet Train | 2022 |
The Fall Guy | 2024 |
Having worked as a stunt performer, stunt supervisor, and second unity director before helming his own films, Leitch has more than enough experience to bring Power Rangers’ unique action style to the big screen. Even if Power Rangers starts to move away from the Super Sentai shows going forward, the hand-to-hand, well-choreographed fight scenes will forever be part of the franchise’s DNA. That said, Leitch has also shown he can tackle the more fantastic side of Power Rangers, particularly with large-scale blockbusters such as Hobbs & Shaw and Deadpool 2.
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What David Leitch Has Said About Directing A Power Rangers Movie
The director believes Power Rangers is “a really fun world.”
Speaking to Screen Rant in an exclusive interview for The Fall Guy’s release, David Leitch discussed his Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue episode and whether he would be interested in helming a Power Rangers project. The director described his Lightspeed Rescue character as “a troubled teen who got possessed” and recalled his “fun fight” against Mike Chaturantabut’s character. In regards to a franchise return, Leitch said he will “never say never.” The filmmaker pointed out that Power Rangers could be “a really fun world,” and that it would be fun to update it.
“Wow. Yeah, I played Brian, a troubled teen who got possessed, on Power Rangers. You have to go way back to see mine. I fought Mike Chat, though. It’s a fun fight scene. That being said, I’ll never say never. I think that it could be a really fun world, and it’d be fun to update that. I know that they are, I’m sure that IP is out there and there’s people developing it. So give me a call.”
The fact that Leitch would be open to working on a Power Rangers project makes this an even better match. That said, there are currently no announced plans for a Power Rangers movie. With no updates regarding the next Power Rangers season after Cosmic Fury and the reported cancelation of the Netflix original series, the future of the franchise in live-action remains to be seen. Still, if Power Rangers ever returns to the big screen, The Fall Guy’s director would be a great pick to reinvent the saga while honoring its signature style and tone.
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue (2000)
Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue is a television series that premiered in 2000, serving as the eighth season of the Power Rangers franchise. The show follows a team of five rescue workers who become superheroes known as the Lightspeed Rescue Power Rangers, tasked with saving the world from demonic forces led by the evil Diabolico.
- Cast
-
Michael Chaturantabut
, Sean Cw Johnson
, Alison MacInnis
, Keith Robinson
, Sasha Williams
, Rhett Fisher - Release Date
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February 12, 2000
- Seasons
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1
- Streaming Service(s)
-
pluto tv
, The Roku Channel - Franchise(s)
-
Power Rangers
- Writers
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Judd Lynn
, Jackie Marchand - Main Genre
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Action
- Creator(s)
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Haim Saban
, Shuki Levy