And for a movie that needed to deeply flesh out the backstory of five unique teens, each of whom was as starkly different on the outside as they were on the inside, it was to be expected that one character might receive the short end of the stick.
And for many Power Rangers fans, they felt that character was Zack Taylor, the Black Ranger portrayed by actor Ludi Lin.
In the films early trailers, Zacks character was seen doing flips on trains, and swinging from light poles. But none of that footage made its way into the movies final cut, leaving many fans to feel like Zack had several layers to his character ultimately repealed.
Those suspicions would be true, as Director Dean Israelite revealed in an interview with Neo Saban Power Rangers that Zacks original backstory was intended to be slightly different but some of those details were a casualty of trimming the movie from 3 hours to 2.
In the movie, Zack harbors a fear of losing his sickly mom, and thus having no one left in his life. While that element was always incorporated into Zacks backstory, the element that didnt make the final cut would have explained his crazier, more daredevil persona thats often reflected throughout the film.
In his original backstory, [Zack] was trying to kind of become a YouTube star and get money that way to help his mom. And so he was doing all these crazy stunts and posting it online. Director Dean Israelite
The YouTube star angle was left behind, but would explain why Zack often defers to lines such as Were gonna be famous! when the teens discover Zordons spaceship, or form their Megazord. It would also explain why fans see Zack doing karate moves on top of moving trains, and swinging from light poles, in the films early trailers.
Should Sabans Power Rangers movie receive a sequel, perhaps Zacks YouTube history will surface then. But if not, his daredevil persona which has come to define his character will surely live on.
