Dredd and Lone Survivor producer Adi Shankar has gained a lot of attention for his “bootleg video” series that casts well-known actors as iconic comic-book and sci-fi characters in dark, violent, and usually quite NSFW short films, and his latest project could be the most extreme reimagining of a property so far.
In Power/Rangers, James Van Der Beek and Katee Sackhoff play former members of the ’90s television superhero team the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, who have fallen on hard times, after the team’s battle with evil alien machines ended in their enemies’ favor. The Dawson’s Creek star plays the former red-suited Power Ranger Rocky DeSantos, who allied with the machines after humanity’s defeat was assured, while Battlestar Galactica actress Sackhoff plays the former pink Power Ranger, Kimmy Ann Hart. The pair square off in a battle of wills as Rocky interrogates Kimmy regarding the whereabouts of the former Green Ranger, Tommy Oliver.
The 14-minute film is directed by Torque filmmaker Joseph Kahn, and like the previous installments of Shankar’s series — which include The Punisher: Dirty Laundry, Venom: Truth in Journalism, and the animated Judge Dredd: Superfiend — the project manages to find a unique angle into the characters that most studio and fan-made films haven’t mined yet. Like those aforementioned films, Power/Rangers makes a compelling argument for letting Shankar work his magic with just about any character he chooses.
Along with the film itself, Shankar also posted a video explaining why he chose the popular ’90s TV series for the subject of his latest “bootleg” film. You can watch that video below:
