Power Rangers Movie Will Use Classic Character Names

The upcoming Power Rangers movie will use the classic character names

As the casting for Lionsgate’s upcoming Power Rangers movie rolled out, it was unclear if the film would be taking its cues from the original series. With every announcement, each actor was only designated by the corresponding color of the Ranger they would be playing and no further details. Now, a tweet from the official Power Rangers account has seemingly revealed that the characters in the film will feature the same names as the original cast.

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 January 13, 2017.