Aside from the Power Rangers themselves, the space witch Rita Repulsa might be the most iconic character to come out of the original '90s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television show. Her delightfully evil nature, outlandish costume and knack for creating giant monsters helped make the series the phenomenon it is today.
It's good to hear then that the upcoming Power Rangers reboot movie will feature Repulsa in all her sinister glory, and now, we know who will play the character.
As revealed in a post on the film's official Instagram account, Elizabeth Banks will be playing Rita as she battles against Earth's teenagers with attitude. Banks is perhaps most recently known for her role as Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games films, where she plays a well-to-do member of Capitol society who is assigned to oversee District 12.
It wouldn't be surprising if those casting Power Rangers saw more than a little Rita in Banks' performance as Effie. Both are over-the-top characters with a knack for theatrics, so it would seem to be a perfect fit. We don't yet know what Rita will look like in the Power Rangers reboot, but expect it to take at least some inspiration from the character's original look.
Banks joins Becky G as the Yellow Ranger, R.J. Cyler as the Blue Ranger, Dacre Montgomery as the Red Ranger, Ludi Lin as the Black Ranger and Naomi Scott as the Pink Ranger. Dean Israelite, perhaps best known for directing Project Almanac, will be in the director's chair. The film is currently slated for a March 24, 2017 release.
A photo posted by Power Rangers (@powerrangersmovie) on Feb 2, 2016 at 9:09am PST
For a look at what a gritty Power Rangers reboot could have looked like, be sure to check out this collection of top-notch concept art from a rejected Power Rangers film pitch.
