Jason David Frank's last film is finally getting into cinemas
Jason David Frank’s last on‑screen turn is now in cinemas — and, no, we’re not telling you which one just yet.
If you grew up with brightly-coloured heroes in motorcycle helmets drop-kicking their way through your telly, you probably know that Power Rangers has always been much more than just the series itself. Even when the show hit a lull, fans kept the whole universe ticking over, with conventions, cosplay, fan films, and a seemingly endless supply of comics. These days, the fan-driven stuff is arguably the most lively part of the franchise, especially as Hasbro continues to muddle about after its grand Netflix reboot fizzled out. Through all these evolutions, no one has been a bigger link between Rangers and their fans than Jason David Frank.
Frank's run as Tommy Oliver—the original Green Ranger—didn't just make him a staple of convention circuits; it made him the heart of the franchise. His first-season Green Ranger arc is the touchstone every later series has tried (and mostly failed) to top. Tragically, Frank died in November 2022, right in the middle of something that was genuinely close to his heart: an independent superhero film, bankrolled by his own fans. For ages, the project's future was anyone's guess, but it's finally made it onto the big screen this week under the title Legend of the White Dragon.
Legend of the White Dragon opened in limited US cinemas on 28 August, timed perfectly with National Power Rangers Day.
A Fan-Funded Swan Song
The story behind this film starts with Bat in the Sun—the indie team known for those gloriously over-the-top 'Super Power Beat Down' YouTube brawls, where everyone from Batman to Deadpool dukes it out in style. Jason David Frank himself appeared more than once, and the chemistry led to something bigger: a feature-length pitch. Fast-forward to 2020, and a Kickstarter raised over half a million dollars for the project. Not bad for what was basically a superhero movie made outside the usual studio system.
This was Frank's shot at playing a more battered, more complex version of the do-gooder he'd been typecast as since the nineties—not hemmed in by the demands of family TV. In Legend of the White Dragon, he plays Erik Reed, an ex-hero once celebrated as the 'White Dragon', now living off the grid after being scapegoated for a city-levelling battle. The plot sees him dragged out of hiding when a fresh villain turns up and forces him to weigh up saving the same city that turned its back on him.
Cast and Behind-the-Scenes Twists
- Jason David Frank as Erik Reed
- Jenna Rae Frank (his daughter)
- Jason Faunt
- Cerina Vincent
- Ciara Hanna
- Mark Dacascos
- David Ramsey
- Andrew Bachelor
- The late Michael Madsen
Filming wrapped back in 2021, with the first plan being a September 4, 2023 release—what would've been Frank's 50th birthday. After his death in November 2022, the team paused to figure out how to handle the ending. They shot additional scenes in 2023 to make sure the finished film stuck to Frank’s vision. Things finally picked up pace after WonderCon this March, when Bat in the Sun revealed that Well Go USA had bought up North American rights.
Well Go USA’s CEO Doris Pfardrescher, announcing the deal, said the film 'not only delivers the thrilling sci-fi action fans crave, but also celebrates the life and legacy of Jason David Frank.'
Considering how many attempts at Power Rangers nostalgia come and go, the fact that Legend of the White Dragon actually managed a theatrical release says a lot about just how much Frank still means to several generations of fans.