One can’t say that Elizabeth Banks was the first one to come to most people’s minds when it came to the casting of Rita Repulsa in the upcoming POWER RANGERS movie. That’s not to say she couldn’t pull it off, but given the source material, one likely expected for her to be a bit less…white. Racial issues aside, however, in terms of character, it was an inspired choice. Over the years, Banks has established herself as an actress with comedic chops. On the whole, she seems like an actress that likes to have fun, and as such, it isn’t too difficult to imagine her hamming it up big time for this adaptation.
PEOPLE has our first look as Banks as the iconic POWER RANGERS villain.
Check her out below!
It’s an interesting look. It looks like a cross between a reptile and Poison Ivy, but given how silly the source material is, it’s not as though we could’ve expected her to look the same (Just look at the image at the top of the page, and you’ll see why not).
“It’s definitely a modern and edgy re-imagining of the original Rita Repulsa,” Banks told PEOPLE. But that won’t likely be the only thing they change about the character. The chances seem ever-slimming that her backstory will consist of being locked up in a space dumpster for thousands of years. “We wanted to give her a backstory that connects her to the new Rangers.”
As far as what those changes are, we can only guess, but Banks went on to express her excitement at playing Rita.
“I’ve never played a villain before,” Banks said before adding that she’s looking forward to “world domination – and being unpredictable as a character.”
What are your thoughts on Banks’ look as Rita Repulsa? Let us know in the comments down below!