{THINGS WE LOVE} Katee Sackhoff & James Van Der Beek Lead Gritty R-Rated “Power Rangers” Short Film

Producer Adi Shankar has teamed with director Joseph Kahn (Torque) to create Power/Rangers, a gritty, dark adaptation of the classic Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. The fourteen minute short film stars James Van Der Beek and Katie Sackhoff, and puts an incredibly unique spin on the beloved franchise. Though this style is not what the upcoming reboot will feature, it leaves us wondering whether an adaptation like this can soon be in the cards.

Shankar is known for serving as an executive producer on Killing Them Softly, The Grey, Dredd 3D, Lone Survivor, and most recently he produced The Voices. However, he’s also been producing what he calls “bootleg shorts,” which are essentially short films that adapt an existing material, only with a dark spin. Prior to Power/Rangers, he’s produced Venom: Truth In Journalism, based upon the Marvel Spider-Man villain, and The Punisher: Dirty Laundry, based upon the titular Marvel character.

The short is taking to the internet by storm, and is the answer to what some fans have been calling for. In regards to a continuation of the short or a feature adaptation, Kahn has said himself that, even if approached, he would turn the project down.

“The irony here is that I wouldn’t even want to make Power Rangers: The Movie for real. Like if I had to make a ‘Power Rangers’ movie, this is it. It’s 14 minutes long and it’s violent and this is what I have in me. If they offered me the 200 million version, the PG-13 version, I literally wouldn’t do it. It’s just not interesting to me.”

Kahn is repped by David Boxerbaum at Paradigm.

Check out the awesome, explosive short below! It’s definitely the coolest version of the Power Rangers we’ve ever seen. Let us know if you think!