What happened to Legend of the White Dragon?

MMA fighter and "Power Rangers" actor Jason David Frank played Tommy Oliver in the Mighty Morphin franchise for many years. But the movie "Legend of the White Dragon" will see the late actor portray another teleporting martial arts hero that promises to be an action-packed sci-fi thrill ride with plenty of "Power Ranger" alums and former DC actors in the lineup.

Before Jason David Frank's tragic death on November 19, 2022, the infamous Green Ranger had embarked on a brand new exciting project. In 2019, a Kickstarter campaign was launched with the hopes of getting "Legend of the White Dragon" made into a sci-fi action miniseries.

A clip (via YouTube) was also released starring Frank with former Power Ranger actors Johnny Yong Bosch from "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," Jason Faunt from "Power Rangers: Time Force," and Ciara Hanna from "Power Rangers: Megaforce." In the scene, Frank's character is on the run, and Young and the others play soldiers sent to track him down. When they encounter him, a fight ensues, and Frank's persona gets the better of them. It is then revealed Frank's character has lost everything after a traumatic event but is told that his daughter is still alive. He then takes a crystal from them and transforms into the White Dragon before flying away.

In April 2020, the Kickstarter efforts appeared to have paid off as they reached their ambitious goal of $100,000, meaning a miniseries was on the way. But then, in May, a bold flex target of $500,000 was finally reached, giving the story for "Legend of the White Dragon" to get the green light to become a feature-length film. Here is everything we know about the movie so far.

When will Legend of the White Dragon be released?

The journey "Legend of the White Dragon" has embarked upon since it started its crowdfunding endeavor has been a wild ride, and after years of waiting, fans are arguably very excited to see the movie starring Jason David Frank from start to finish. Unfortunately, it seems like they may have to wait longer than expected.

There has been no official release date for "Legend of the White Dragon" listed on the Bat in the Sun or the film's official websites. The Kickstarter and the IMDb pages also do not mention any kind of timetable regarding the release. According to the comments section on the Kickstarter page, there was little information about the movie's release before the death of Jason David Frank, and the tragic loss will probably affect when the film gets seen.

Blu-Ray.com claims it is coming out sometime in 2023. An Instagram post from the movie's account @lotwhitedragon expressed excitement for the film to be released in 2023 as well. So, for now, there has been no official date announcement for the movie besides the 2023 tease, and fans will have to see how everything plays out before they can see one of Jason David Frank's last passion projects.

What is the plot of Legend of the White Dragon?

According to the About section of the film's official website, "Legend of the White Dragon" follows Jason David Frank's character Erik Reed, a hero with a Power Rangers-like suit summoned from a White Dragon crystal. Three years before when the flick's narrative takes place, Reed, aka the White Dragon, lost a battle with Ashtagor, leaving the city heavily damaged. Now with his identity revealed to everyone, he is on the run and must find a way to not only find redemption for his failure but get back his next-level strength. Reed teams up with Iris and Conner on his journey. They assist the protector of Virtuo City against the fiery foe Dragon Prime, a villainous menace with a similar suit to the White Dragon's that has an unhealthy obsession with exacting revenge on the titular persona.

Based on the plot synopsis and the White Dragon's suit, some people may think that Frank's character won't be that far off from what fans saw from Tommy Oliver in the "Power Rangers." But apparently, that won't be the case. "The audience, I think, is going to really relate to Erik Reed because he's completely different opposite than Tommy Oliver," the actor told ComicBook.com. "And I think if they can imagine what my... It has no relation at all, but I'm saying as far as my audience, it's a deeper, older, I wouldn't say version of Tommy Oliver at all. It's a completely different character." Viewers will be in for a brand new experience when they finally get to see "Legend of the White Dragon."

Has Legend of the White Dragon finished filming?

It appears that "Legend of the White Dragon" has completed the production stage. Jason David Frank confirmed as much on July 31, 2021, when he was giving an interview with Morphin Squad member Ryan from the Morphin Network (via YouTube). He seemed very enthusiastic about everything happening with the film, how excited he is for fans to see it and how great it will be to see all of the talented individuals involved come together on screen, saying, "People from the DC universe, people from different things all collaborating in one making one awesome movie and I say that because we are done filming."

The late actor did mention there were some pickup shots left to shoot, but by his account, it does seem like the movie has completed principal photography. "Legend of the White Dragon" did complete filming before the shocking death of Jason David Frank, meaning there is a good chance fans will get to see the Green Ranger actor give it one last go onscreen as the White Dragon alongside some gifted players.

Who is starring in Legend of the White Dragon?

According to IMDb, Jason David Frank isn't the only recognizable face in "Legend of the White Dragon." Certain individuals on the roster have some DC credibility on their resumé like Mayling NG from "The Suicide Squad," who plays Tek Boh, and David Ramsay, known for playing Diggle in the "Arrowverse," is portraying Mayor Trevon Stevens, who is determined to get Frank's character Eric Reed to face accountability for his actions that lead to the destruction of Virtuo City. 

Other big-name stars on the roster include Michael Madsen from "Kill Bill" as Max Reed and Kingbach from "Greenland" as a hologram character called U.R.I. Mark Dacascos from "John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum," is playing the role of Xang, a monk who is sworn to protect the White Dragon crystal. 

Johnny Yong Bosch, who was seen in the Kickstarter teaser, said in an interview (via YouTube) that he left the feature after a contract dispute, but the other two former Rangers from the clip are still involved. "Power Rangers: Megaforce" alum Ciara Hanna plays Vanessa, and "Power Rangers" Time Force" actor Jason Faunt portrays Connor. "Power Rangers: Lost Galaxy" star Cerina Vincent is also in the movie as Rebecca Reed. 

In addition, Rachelle Brooke Smith plays Iris Maine, who has been described by the film's Instagram as "the main HERO girl, in our new SuperHero Universe." Also, Aaron Shoenke is playing Jai and Dragon Prime, the villain looking to get revenge on the White Dragon. Jason David Frank's daughter, Jenna Frank, whom he referred to as "definitely a Method actor" (via Instagram), plays his character's daughter Angela Reed. 

Who is directing Legend of the White Dragon?

Sitting in the director's chair for "Legend of the White Dragon" is Aaron Shoenke, who is credited as playing Jai and the film's villain, Dragon Prime. The filmmaker and co-creator of Bat in the Sun has several intriguing credits on his IMDb, including the "Super Power Beat Down" series, "Super Horror Beat Down" series, and the short Batman fan film "Dying is Easy," which he stars in as the Joker. 

He has worked with Jason David Frank on several films, including "Power Rangers Legacy Wars: Street Fighter Showdown," "Ninjak vs. the Valiant Universe," and "My Mighty Morphin Life." But by far, the biggest endeavor the two have worked on is, without a doubt, "Legend of the White Dragon." And he is very eager for everyone to witness the end result of all their hard work. "The amount of talent and sweat put into this film is incredible! Can't wait for you all to see it!" (via Instagram).

Is there a trailer for Jason David Frank's Legend of the White Dragon?

The trailer for "Legend of the White Dragon," starring Jason David Frank, was released by Bat in the Sun in December 2021 (via YouTube). The trailer starts with the Mayor of Virtuo City (Dave Ramsay) revealing that Erik Reed is alive, with the character shown losing his white Dragon suit in a fiery rubble. The mayor promises his citizens that Reed will face justice for his actions. After that, the action kicks into high gear and doesn't slow down. In between instances of fast cars, wisecracking holograms, sci-fi ships, luxurious mansions, and beautiful women, viewers are continuously hit with a barrage of pulse-pounding shots full of exhilarating action, hard-hitting fight sequences, and super dominant squad walks. There is also a solid showcase of Frank getting in shootouts and fighting almost every other character in the motion picture. Fans get a good glimpse at the bullet-proof Dragon Prime as well, who is also shown burning someone alive, indicating he is working with some serious firepower. The teaser doesn't give much away about the story that the plot synopsis didn't already cover and acts more like a highlight reel showcasing all the personas involved, capped off by the reveal of the White Dragon.

The exciting teaser for "Legend of the White Dragon" is undoubtedly packed to the brim with plenty of martial arts mayhem, high-octane thrills, and spectacular science fiction that feels like an ideal endeavor for fans of Jason David Frank and the Power Rangers.