Power Rangers alum Jason David Frank (Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers) is starring in the upcoming project Legend of the White Dragon, a Power Rangers-inspired film produced by Bat in the Sun (Super Power Beat Down) and directed by Aaron Schoenke and Sean Schoenke. The project began in 2019 as a Kickstarter campaign, with a short teaser released to promote the campaign. By April 2020, the Kickstarter reached its initial goal of $100,000 to produce Legend of the White Dragon as a miniseries.
Later in May, the campaign reached its ultimate stretch goal of $500,000, solidifying Legend of the White Dragon for a feature film release.
Legend of the White Dragon Cast & Story Details
Legend of the White Dragon follows the titular White Dragon, played by Frank. He isn't the only Power Rangers alum making a morphenominal return: Jason Faunt (Power Rangers Time Force) and Ciara Hanna (Power Rangers Megaforce) are involved with the project as well. The film also stars Mayling Ng (The Suicide Squad), KingBach (Greenland) and Mark Dacascos (John Wick 3).
Frank stars as Erik Reed, a disgraced hero who goes into exile following a horrific event known as The Aftermath, which left a city destroyed. Blamed for the catastrophe, the city's protectors were stripped of their titles and hunted. But when an evil threatens to return, the heroes must reunite, with Erik once again wielding the crystal that allows him to call upon the power of the White Dragon.
White Dragon Isn't a Tommy Oliver Doppelganger
Although Power Rangers similarities -- from the cast to the costumes to the premise -- are obvious in The Legend of the White Dragon, Frank insists Erik Reed isn't a Tommy Oliver clone.
"The audience, I think, is going to really relate to Erik Reed because he's completely different opposite than Tommy Oliver," Frank recently told ComicBook.com. "And I think if they can imagine what my... It has no relation at all, but I'm saying as far as my audience, it's a deeper, older, I wouldn't say version of Tommy Oliver at all. It's a completely different character. But what they're going to see is Jason David Frank in a more mature role, meaning that he's... I can finally express on television, that's not for kids, nothing that's PG-13."
Frank has reprised his role as Tommy Oliver on numerous occasions, the most recent being in Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel, Season 1, Episode 10, "Dimensions in Danger."
No release date has been announced, although Frank and his co-stars continue to promote the film on their social media pages. Bat in the Sun recently released its new Batman fan film titled Batman: Dying is Easy, meaning there's a chance the independent film company's attention will focus back on promoting Legend of the White Dragon.
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Jason David Frank has revealed a look at his new costume in Legend of the White Dragon, the upcoming limited series that's been described as a more mature version of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. An actor and professional mixed martial artist, Frank is very well known for his role as Tommy Oliver in the Power Rangers franchise. He debuted as the Green Ranger in 1993 before later becoming the White Ranger in Power Rangers lore.
These days, Jason David Frank has been working on the Bat in the Sun project, Legend of the White Dragon, following a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. The project serves as a bit of a Power Rangers reunion, as it also includes other actors from the franchise like Jason Faunt (Power Rangers Time Force), Johnny Yong Bosch (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), Ciara Hanna (Power Rangers Megaforce), Chrysti Ane (Power Rangers Ninja Steel), and Yoshi Sudarso (Power Rangers Dino Charge).
On social media, Frank has revealed our first look at how he appears in costume as the White Dragon. He also posted a video showcasing many of the White Dragon helmets that will be going out to those who backed the project. An official Instagram for Legend of the White Dragon shows off some other shots from the project. You can take a peek at them below.
"The audience, I think, is going to really relate to Erik Reed because he's completely different opposite than Tommy Oliver," Frank said in a new interview with ComicBook.com. "And I think if they can imagine what my... It has no relation at all, but I'm saying as far as my audience, it's a deeper, older, I wouldn't say version of Tommy Oliver at all. It's a completely different character. But what they're going to see is Jason David Frank in a more mature role, meaning that he's... I can finally express on television, that's not for kids, nothing that's PG-13."
"You're going to see a lot of problems in Erik Reed. He's really stuck in his head, and I don't think he knows how to express himself with people," he added said. "His old friends come back in his life, and they want him to pick up where he left off at. And there was a lot of people, I think, in life that stopped doing what they loved for someone else, and convince them otherwise."
The official synopsis for Legend of the White Dragon reads: "The White Dragon, Erik Reed, has returned home to Virtuo City 3 years later after being defeated in a colossal battle against the ancient overlord, Ashtagor. The crystal he used to become the White Dragon was broken in two as a result of the epic battle, both pieces were subsequently lost. Being blamed for the destruction and collateral lives lost, his identity was outed after the battle thus making him a fugitive from the law.
We now follow Erik on his journey as he teams up with treasure hunters from the past who help him reclaim his power as the White Dragon. Once reunited with his powers, he and his team are now ready to battle a new threat, Dragon Prime, who seeks revenge against the White Dragon. Erik must now try and defeat Dragon Prime in order to get one step closer to clearing his name and being able to protect his family from an ancient evil that still lurks in the darkness... Ashtagor."
It's unclear when Legend of the White Dragon will arrive. In the meantime, the cast and crew have been consistently posting updates on the project on social media. You can read the full interview with Jason David Frank about the project at ComicBook.com.