'Legend of the White Dragon' Is Meant to Be a Mature Reimagining of 'Power Rangers'

Dark and gritty reboots of our favorite childhood shows and franchises certainly aren't anything new. Shows like Bel-Air, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and Velma are all new and more mature adaptations of classic shows, though each of them have had varying degrees of success and fan reaction. At one point, even Power Rangers received the same treatment.

In 2017, Lionsgate released a reboot film of the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers series starring a new cast and even featuring Bryan Cranston as their mentor, Zordon. The film was met with lukewarm reactions from critics, but was praised by fans as a unique an entertaining take on the series.

While that Power Rangers project came and went, there's still Legend of the White Dragon, a film that takes plenty of inspiration from Power Rangers. Are the two titles connected, though?

Legend of the White Dragon is a sci-fi film that was crowdfunded on Kickstarter back in 2020. The film stars former Power Rangers star Jason David Frank in his final role before his death in November 2022.

As the star of the film, Jason was heavily involved in promoting the film during its funding campaign, having appeared in the Kickstarter video. The project reached its stretch goal of $500,000, allowing the project to go from a mini-series to a feature film.

In a 2021 interview with ComicBook.com, Jason stressed that while the film is inspired by Power Rangers, it is not at all connected to the franchise. Instead, he wanted the film to set him apart from his reputation as a Power Ranger.

"I wouldn't day [he's a] version of Tommy Oliver (his Power Rangers character) at all," he told the outlet. "It's a completely different character. But what [the audience] is going to see is Jason David Frank in a more mature role."

To that end, the film has its own original story. Legend of the White Dragon follows Erik Reed aka the White Dragon (Jason David Frank), a superhero who becomes a fugitive after one of his battles decimates a city. As he attempts to evade the law, he must also reclaim his lost powers after a new threat emerges.

The movie takes plenty of inspiration from JDF's claim to fame, but Legend of the White Dragon has no connection to the overall Power Rangers canon.

Interestingly enough, though, the film stars several former Power Rangers actors. Among the cast is Cerina Vincent from Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, Jason Faunt from Power Rangers Time Force, and Ciara Hanna from Power Rangers Megaforce. It even stars several notable Hollywood actors like Michael Madsen and action star Mark Dacascos. If anything, the movie could be considered a love letter to Power Rangers while having no real connection.

Legend of the White Dragon is set to be released in theaters on Sept. 4, the same date as Jason David Frank's birthday.