Max Landis bashes Lionsgate for ripping off ‘Chronicle’ with ‘Power Rangers’

Writer of 'Chronicle', Max Landis, dishes on why he was let go from writing for the upcoming 'Power Rangers' movie.

The biggest news that came out of the New York Comic Con this past weekend has to be the release of the first official teaser trailer for next year's Power Rangers reboot. While fans and children of the 90's the world over have been struggling to find something wrong with the new footage, former writer for the project, Max Landis, recently spoke out in regards to what Lionsgate decided to do with it:

It turns out, Max Landis was released from the project early on. According to him, he was hired by Lionsgate to write the movie based on the well-received support of his other teen superhero drama, 'Chronicle'. When Landis presented what he figured was more a kin to what a fresh take on the franchise should be, he was let go for not falling in line and essentially writing another version of 'Chronicle'.

This revelation is another example of something Landis has gone on record speaking out against on multiple ocassions; the film industry's need to execute a "film formula". The film industry has proven that no one can truly know what's going to be a success and what won't. Lately, the whole construct is being decided based entirely on hindsight. Investing tens of millions of dollars in what is essentially a piece of art is proving to be too great a risk, and Lionsgate has clearly opted to double down on not just nostalgia, but combining it with past successes.

Landis doesn't necessarily appear to be condemning the movie, but it seems that he can't help but notice that he's fallen victim to a machine that takes only proven material to the box office and abandons any new interpretations.