LOS ANGELES, April 19 (UPI) — Elizabeth Banks made her debut as “Power Rangers” villain Rita Repulsa on Tuesday.
The 42-year-old actress described the sorceress as “a super chill no frills character” after the Power Rangers official Twitter shared a first look at Rita Repulsa online.
“I’ve never played a villain before, let alone an alien warrior,” Banks told People, who debuted the photo. “[I’m looking forward to] world domination — and being unpredictable as a character.”
“It’s definitely a modern and edgy reimagining of the original Rita Repulsa,” she added of the villain’s new green and gold look. “We wanted to give her a backstory that connects her to the new rangers.”
The “Power Rangers” reboot is directed by Project Almanac helmer Dean Israelite. The movie is based on the TV series “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” which itself is adapted from the Japanese series “Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger.”
“I think what [Elizabeth] loves is the opportunity to really embrace the insanity and deliciousness of Rita Repulsa in terms of how weird and wonderful that character was, and really dive into and consume that character,” Israelite previously told Entertainment Weekly.
“You should always be off-balance when you’re watching her,” he added. “Is she insane? Is she totally calculated? Does she know what she’s doing? Elizabeth can toe that line really well.”
Dacre Montgomery will star as Jason, the Red Ranger, with Becky G as Trini, the Yellow Ranger, Ludi Lin as Zack, the Black Ranger, Naomi Scott as Kimberly, the Pink Ranger and R.J. Cyler as Billy, the Blue Ranger.
“Power Rangers” opens March 24, 2017.
Banks is known for playing Effie Trinket in “The Hunger Games” series and Gail in the “Pitch Perfect” movies. She also directed the second installment, “Pitch Perfect 2,” and will return to direct and star in “Pitch Perfect 3.”
