Shortly after Lionsgate and Saban announced they were collaborating on a big screen reboot of the iconic Power Rangers franchise, it was revealed that the studio would be seeking out mostly unknown talent for the leading cast. They would anchor the film with some bigger names in the villain and secondary roles. And that all came to fruition, with Elizabeth Banks taking on the iconic character of main baddie Rita Repulsa and Bryan Cranston becoming the new Zordon. Today, we have a new photo from the movie that shows Banks in all her Rita repulsiveness. And we get a few words from one of the newcomers tasked with taking over as these high school superheroes.
Becky G certainly has her fans. And amongst the hot young cast of this new version of Power Rangers, she is perhaps the best known of the bunch. Rebbeca Marie Gomez is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and actress whose musical style is an integration of pop-rap and Latin pop music genres. In Power Rangers, she takes on the role of Yellow Ranger Trini. She is seen in the latest photo from the movie, having to fight off the evil Rita, whose army of strange and insane monsters can't be far behind.
The pair is seen fighting in Trini's bedroom. And it looks like Repulsa has the upper hand, as she pins the Yellow Ranger to the wall. At 19 years old, such an intergalactic fight amongst titans is something new to Becky G. So is having to go toe-to-toe with one of the leading actresses in Hollywood. The young singer talked with EW about having to fight against such an evil presence. Why is Rita attacking Trini in her bedroom. Gomez had this to say.
"Rita tries to make Trini feel like she's the weakest link of the Power Rangers, and she feels it's easiest to go for her. Rita's the type to play a lot of mind games, and Trini's [thinking], "Can I really overpower Rita Repulsa or can I not?" When we did our blocking, our run through, Elizabeth and I really wanted to make it fun, to make this scene as real as possible. Actually, I got to run through the wall a couple of times. I got thrown up against it and I got to break it myself. My stunt double of course was there, talking me through it, but I was really, really excited. It was a bit intimidating for me because, you know, it's Elizabeth! I look up to her a lot as an actress, so getting to work one on one with her is really cool. I learned a lot, and there were moments when I had to hit her, and I was like, "Oh my God, I hope I don't actually hit her!" She really let me be hands on in a lot of the fighting, so it was cool."
Doing one's own stunts isn't all fun and games. While it might be exciting to get to tussle with someone of Banks' stature, it didn't come without injury. Was there any scraps, scarring or bruises? Yes, of course says Becky G.
"So many. [Laughs] Elizabeth went in in costume in the entire movie, and, you know, even for us in our Power Rangers suits, they're not the most comfortable [to fight in], so to have to do action scenes in a costume, it's pretty brutal. She chokes me and throws me up against a wall, and I actually told her, "Don't be afraid to put pressure on my neck." [Laughs] Little did I know the next day I'd actually have bruises and feel a little sore."
We haven't gotten to see the main Power Rangers suited up just yet. Lionsgate may be saving that big reveal for the first trailer, which is rumored to drop next week at Comic-Con. Becky G. did give a small tease of what we can expect out of these costumed high school heroes, though. About putting on the iconic Power Rangers armor, she says this.
"For me, it was so cool, because [during our rehearsals], we're just hanging out in our regular civilian clothes, in sweats and stuff, but then when we went in to film it, there were all kinds of people there, and I feel the pressure, because, you know, it's my first film, and I'm working with A-list actors like Elizabeth. I was nervous. And then when she walks in, not in sweatpants but in full Rita Repulsa costume, I'm like, "This is gonna be so easy, because she looks so real! It was just funny. There were times when we're wearing harnesses and you have to be, like, hung up, so we're not actually being thrown around, but it's awkward. There were just times when I was in my harness hanging there like a little piñata just waiting to get thrown into the wall by Elizabeth, so little things like that cracked us up. There's a part where she's hovering over me, and to get the coverage, at one point she was just, like, on top of me, and we're just there having a normal conversation. It was really fun."
While the majority of The Power Rangers reboot is done filming, there will be some pick-up shots later on. Becky G. discussed those as well as her upcoming presence at Comic-Con, which she seems extremely excited about. She explains.
"We're done with the majority of filming now. We have some reshoots coming up which I'm excited for, because I'll get to see everybody again. We have Comic-Con before that, which is even more exciting because it'll be my first time ever. Honestly, I've had plenty of opportunities to go before, because my dad works for a really big toy company. He takes my brother every single year, and he's always offered for me and my other siblings to go, and I'm always like, no, I'll go eventually. Little did I know I would be going as an official Power Ranger. I'm more excited to meet the Power Rangers fanatics and learning more about what I'm doing. I was a fan growing up, but it's still, like, a whole new world to be able to share this new insight with the new and old Power Rangers fans. [My castmates and I] have our little Power Rangers WhatsApp group chat, because we're all in different parts of the world. You've got Ludi [Lin, who plays the Black Ranger] in China, you've got Dacre [Montgomery, who plays the Red Ranger] in Australia, and Naomi [Scott, who plays the Pink Ranger] in the U.K. RJ [Cyler, who plays the Blue Ranger] and I are the only ones who live in L.A., so he came by to visit me in the studio. We're all really looking forward to going. From what I hear, it's like going to a whole other world."
Power Rangers is coming March 24, 2017. The Power Rangers are Becky G as Yellow Ranger Trini, Ludi Lin as Black Ranger Zack, Dacre Montgomery as Red Ranger Jason, Naomi Scott as Pink Ranger Kimberly, and RJ Cyler as Blue Ranger Billy. Expected to be one of 2017's biggest hits. Take a look at this latest sneak peek, and then hold on for Comic-Con. We expect something mighty big will be coming our way soon.
