When Lionsgate’s Power Rangers reboot was announced, it was made clear that relative unknowns would be cast as the team while some more familiar faces would be chosen for the supporting characters. Now, the latest addition is Bill Hader (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Trainwreck) as fan-favourite Alpha 5 in a role which will see the actor provide his voice for the hero.
He’s no stranger to doing the talking on behalf of robots either as Hader actually played a key role in coming up with BB-8’s “voice” in Star Wars: The Force Awakens last year.
In Power Rangers, Alpha 5 is the robotic assistant to the team as well as a mentor who serves them under his friend, the wise sage Zordon. His catchphrase is “Ay-yi-yi,” and often expressed in moments of panic as he sees the Power Rangers heading into danger.
Directed by Dean Israelite (Project Almanac), the Power Rangers reboot has a long list of screenwriters which includes John Gatins (Kong: Skull Island), Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama (Dracula Untold), Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller (X-Men: First Class), and perhaps most surprisingly, Max Landis (Chronicle). That’s a lot of different cooks in the kitchen!
Power Rangers stars Dacre Montgomery (A Few Less Men) as Jason the Red Ranger, RJ Cyler (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) as Billy the Blue Ranger, Naomi Scott (The 33) as Kimberly the Pink Ranger, Becky G (Empire) as Trini the Yellow Ranger, and Ludi Lin (Monster Hunt) as Zack the Black Ranger. Rounding out the cast are Elizabeth Banks as Rita Repulsa and Bryan Branston as Zordon. The movie is currently set to be released on March 24th, next year.
