Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Movies | Tagged: Legend of the white dragon

Legend of the White Dragon Creatives Discuss Frank & Madsen, Future

Legend of the White Dragon director/star Aaron Schoenke and writer Alex Kellerman spoke to us about Jason David Frank, Michael Madsen & more.

Legend of the White Dragon became a passion project for star Jason David Frank, director-writer Aaron Schoenke, and co-writer Alex Kellerman since it brought the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers star's biggest aspects of his life to the big screen from embracing his legacy inspiring millions playing his signature role as a superhero on screen and sharing aspects of his life through his art playing Erik Reed/White Dragon as a hero trying to atone for his past mistake that cost lives, but emerging again to fight his archnemesis (Schoenke), one of those he failed, from his megalomaniacal ambitions of power. In part two, Schoenke and Kellerman spoke to Bleeding Cool about the Well Go USA film, balancing the practical and CG elements of the film, their favorite on-set memory of Frank, who passed in 2022, and Michael Madsen, who played Erik's father, Max Reed; who passed in 2025 (the film is dedicated to both their memories); and if the film can have any continuation without Frank.

Legend of the White Dragon Director-Star Aaron Schoenke and Co-Writer Alex Kellerman on VFX, Jason David Frank and Michael Madsen Memories, and Franchise Future

Bleeding Cool: How did you balance the practical and CG effects in the film?

Schoenke: Well, it's tough because you're dealing with a story that features a cosmic-powered dragon, and so there's a lot of energy and stuff like that. When you're dealing with superheroes, you want to have a lot of fantastical stuff, but it was also very important that the story itself was so grounded that you could almost tell the story if you took out all the cosmic fiction about it. It's about these two people who have a misunderstanding coming together, but you have got to have the cool flying sequence.

Kellerman: The visual effects make it cool. That's the eye candy, but there are also fight scenes that have no visual effects. There's an early fight scene that I think you showed a clip of at [San Diego] Comic-Con that has very few special effects with the motorcycle and all that, and then the Mark Dacascos scene is great with a few special effects. Jason wanted everything to be as realistic as possible when it wasn't flying around. The suits are practical. It's not some sort of digital…

Schoenke: Yeah, no mo-caps or anything like that.

Kellerman: It's real costumes and all that, and it looks great.

Was there a particular memory on set that you want to share about Jason and/or Michael?

Kellerman: Jason and Michael on day one… I'm also a big Michael Madsen fan who is like a Quentin Tarantino guy. Having them on set together, the energy was so different from any other day, and they both really got into the scene, and it started off trying to rewrite things on the fly. It then turned into them getting into it and doing their actor thing; just the two of them fed off each other so amazingly well. For me, that was like one of the most, I mean, besides day one of filming, everyone's excited to be on set, and it's really happening. Those are like the two things that came out for me.

Schoenke: With Michael, Jason loved that day. Their scene also focuses on a lot of inner family issues, which resonated with both of them. They both, at one point, got very emotional, and they had to take a break and step away from the scene. Michael really liked how committed Jason was to the script because, you know, a lot of actors come in and do certain projects where it's like, "Okay, I just do this and this." Jason was really committed, as was Michael, and it was a really nice thing. Another memory for me: when I would do some of the fighting with Jason, it was just like, "That was cool," because normally… It's just so intimate, you know? I've known Jason for over 10 years, since before he passed, and we grew really close, but I'd never done a fight scene with him, and being there, and that's so much his world. I have a background in stunt fighting, but he's such a master at that, so it was fun to just see how visceral he was, but how nurturing at the same time. It was a cool new experience for me.

Kellerman: The first day on set with Michael really shocked me, because obviously we had talked about this character before we started the writing process, and all that stuff with Jason. He was a big part of that, but when we had gotten on set, he pulled me aside and had all these ideas that he had thought about for the character. He had done so much character work. That I hadn't really expected him to do because he just had such a deep love for these characters that I almost felt like I had just put stuff on the page, and he really ran with it. So, day one for me, when he pulled me aside and was just- I hadn't expected him to be that thoughtful about all of it.

When you guys were working on the story and everything, were there any inclinations that there was supposed to be something more after the film, as potentially something that may be a continuation of some sort? Or was it the film?

Schoenke: The film, kind of spoilers, the film [sets up] a sequel. The story is written. It totally exists. It was supposed to be that when you watch the movie, you're definitely like, "Oh, there's a lot unanswered. This is definitely to be continued," so there was a prequel, and then there was the sequel that was written.

Are you guys seeing how it goes, or is it some plan to execute where you honor Jason's memory to continue this as a franchise and recast his role to flesh out this vision?

Schoenke: We've talked about it, but the project wouldn't be the same without Jason. There's no recasting. Jason IS Erik Reed.

Kellerman: We talked about a lot of different ways to do it, and it just is.

Schoenke: It's just tough without him. The only thing I think would be to do a comic book, so it's true to the story that we all came up with. It has his likeness, and it's still him in a way. The whole project is always about honoring Jason, and then if we were to move forward, how do we continue to do that? Right?

Legend of the White Dragon, which also stars David Ramsey, Lenore Zann, Cerina Vincent, Rachele Brooke Smith, Jason Faunt, Amy Johnson, and Andrew Bachelor, is in theaters.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!