The upcoming Power Rangers reboot has cast its large, blue-faced floating head mentor. Zordon is being played by Bryan Cranston, the Blue Sky-cooking Walter White from Breaking Bad. Zordon, in the original series, was the alien being who gave the Power Rangers their Power Morphers. Cranston tweeted the casting news today, pointing out that the Blue Ranger actually shares his name, adding yet another layer of blue-related wonder to the story.
Excited to play #Zordon in the #PowerRangersMovie! T or F: #BlueRanger Billy Cranston was named after what actor? https://t.co/d3ltjpcDKb
— Bryan Cranston (@BryanCranston) June 21, 2016
If you’re wondering how the actor shares the same name as a Ranger, it’s not coincidence. As a young actor, Cranston actually provided voice work for the English dubs. In an interview, he explains how the role came about, saying “One of my jobs as a young actor starting out was voiceover. I also did dubbing. A lot of dubbing and a lot of voiceover. So foreign films would come in and I’d go in. One of the places that did a lot of that was Saban Entertainment… I had been there for awhile already and then the Power Rangers came in.” His work included characters like “Twin Man” and “Slizzard.” Cranston said his name was actually made the full name of Billy, the Blue Ranger.
Power Rangers has already announced the cast for the rangers, as well as Elizabeth Banks portraying Rita Repulsa. Does this mean Zordon will wear a hat & sunglasses? Might Aaron Paul make an appearance as Alpha-5? One can only hope.
The film will come knocking on March 24th, 2017.
