It is no bold claim to say that actor Jason David Frank was a quintessential part of ’90s television. He was, in large part, the most popular part of the “Power Rangers” craze, as well as an accomplished martial artist. The beloved actor tragically passed away in 2022, but would work on one final project before his untimely passing, “The Legend of the White Dragon,” releasing August 28.
In many ways, the movie is a love letter to everything that influenced Frank’s career. The project has everything a ’90s fan could dream of, and so much more. EntertainmentNow was lucky enough to talk with two of the leading figures behind the film Aaron Schoenke and Alex Kellerman. Schoenke co-directed the film with his father while also acting, scoring, and co-writing the film with Kellerman.
Both sides of the talented writing duo touched on what it was like to work with Frank, with Kellerman discussing his experience from more of a fan perspective.
“Sure, I mean, it was amazing. It’s always amazing to, like work with your childhood heroes. I obviously grew up watching Power Rangers, and he had a huge impact on me as a child, and then, you know. before we made this movie, we worked on a short film. Me and Aaron wrote a ‘Street Fighter vs. Power Rangers’ short film for Lionsgate and Hasbro and Saban, getting to write things like ‘It’s Morphin Time was, you know… a dream come true.” The talented writer continued. “And then to then work with him on something he was so… I mean obviously, he was passionate about Power Rangers in general, but he had just wanted to make this movie specifically for his fans. He’d been dreaming about it for years and years with no way of making it happen. And so, to be a part of helping him get it to the big screen was really an honor more than anything else.”
Schoenke Speaks on His Lasting Friendship With Frank
Schoenke had a much more personal relationship with Frank which the writer and actor touched on with his answer. Schoenke and Frank had collaborated for over a decade at the time of his passing, so the director understandably had a lot to say about Frank’s influence on the project.
“Yeah, and for me, I knew Jason for over 10 years.” The incredible martial artist added. “We worked on projects together and we became really close, really, really, really close friends. He was actually supposed to be one of my groomsmen, actually, before he passed.”
Schoenke then discussed the origins for the film, and how he and Frank would continuously put a pin in various script concepts or scenes denied by Hasbro or Saban. The director then went on to mention the deep connection Frank shared with his fans and how he wanted to create a project for his more mature audience. These ideas culminated in “The Legend of the White Dragon,” releasing August 28. Schoenke went on to discuss how Frank’s fans were the true catalyst for the film.
“A lot of times when he was on ‘Power Rangers’, he was wearing a mask, and he couldn’t be honest, and obviously, you know, you’ve seen the movie, and there’s a lot more mental health issues in there, there’s a lot more, we see much more of a flawed character, and, you know, he has, it’s such a connection with his fans. That was really something he wanted, and it was so cool to work with him on that, and have him be raw and open with it, because he’d work on ‘Power Rangers’, and he always was not sure, and he dealt with a lot of mental health issues, probably more so than most people knew. His close circle knew it, but he… people live their truth through their art,” Schoenke continued. “For people that really know Jason, when they’ve seen the movie, they’ve been like: ‘Wow, that was really Jason.’ I think maybe that might go over some people’s heads, or that gets lost on people.”
Schoenke elaborated on how Frank really brought his authentic emotions through the role of Erik Reed and “The Legend of the White Dragon.” Even Schoenke’s character, Jai Katua, is meant to represent a fraction of Frank’s full personality. He was more than just a childhood hero, he was a real person with real emotions. This has never been more evident than through his latest and possibly greatest film. Frank hoped by having a character express complex emotions, it would make his fans more comfortable doing the same. The co-director then touched on how fliming went with the beloved ’90s star.
Schoenke and Kellerman Give More Details About Their Filming Experience
“…what me and Alex, then try to put in there, and then he would come oversee, or he’s like, rewrite some of the lines, and I want to do it this way, and you know, so..it was just… Jason was very cool to work with collaboratively,” Schoenke continued.”He was very open, and it was like a hive mind, is what it kind of became, you know?”
“And such a serious actor,” Kellerman added. “You wouldn’t expect if from Power Rangers, but he came to set on the first day with some many questions about his character, and we had such a long conversation… he had done so much character work, it was really surprising and awesome.”
However, the film is far more than emotional scenes. Frank and other talented martial artists like David Ramsey and Mark Dacascos easily steal the scene whenever they appear. The director, Schoenke, even had to go hand-to-hand with these martial arts legends for his role as Jai Katua, and discussed the experience with EntertainmentNow.
“I have a background of stunt fighting, straining, and a few little things, having done the motion capture for Spider-Man and the Andrew Garfield games, the Deadliest Warrior, and all of the beatdowns and stuff, so I have a good repertoire to fall back on. Having said that, Jason is just this…machine,” the director continued. “I mean, he’s 4-0 in professional cage fighting, and you can just feel his power.”
“Yeah, Jason also loved fighting so much that he was constantly sparring with people or, like, teaching them fight moves in between takes and things like that,” Kellerman injected. “So I feel that everybody was kind of a better fighter by the institution.”
What Do the Talented Writer Duo Want Fans to Take Away From the Film?
Both writers are clearly abundantly passionate about the upcoming film. A lot of effort has clearly gone into the project, and many of Franks’ fans cannot wait for the film’s release. Since this movie is so clearly fan-centric EntertainmentNow concluded the interview by asking the writing team what they wanted audiences to take away from their upcoming film.
“I think with anything, especially in this genre of superhero media,” added Schoenke. “You know you hope that the films or the art makes an impact to better one’s life… and that’s what Jason wanted too, is to help people. So it’s like I said, make people seen, make people feel like hey, I’m putting too much pressure on myself, I’m holding on to too much of this stuff that’s dragging me down. I can be free of this, and I can start to grow… if they’re in a dark place they can help them see the light and ask for help and stuff like that… That’s everything. It’s all you can want, and since Jason focuses so much on mental health, I just hope that people to have.”
GettyCo-writer Kellerman went on, “Yeah, I hope that the mental health themes come through and are helpful to people. I also hope that the people who have been wanting this type of material to be translated into a darker, grittier R-rated version of itself, I hope it scratches that itch for a lot of fans. There are a lot of people who have wanted that stuff. Not just ‘Power Rangers’ fans either, but things that are like ‘Power Rangers and other types of things they watched as a kid. A lot of people want a more adult version of that… so it’s awesome that we got to put something out there that might scratch that itch for people”
Ultimately, this film is the perfect outing for any child of the ’90s wanting to relive the glory days. It brings a childhood hero into a complex combat role that he undoubtedly crushes. EntertainmentNow was extremely fortunate to talk with both Kellerman and Schoenke about their project, “The Legend of the White Dragon,” coming to theatres August 28. “Power Rangers” fans, or even martial arts movie lovers in general, won’t want to miss out.
