Ludi Lin Goes Shaolin

Handsome, ripped, playing two superheroes (so far). It’s a breath of fresh air to meeting rising star Ludi Lin and hearing him speak so candidly about failure and how it breeds tenacity

- Jonathan Ho

THE MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS was a franchise I had grown up watching and even if you are vaguely familiar with the 2017 remake, I’m pretty sure that anyone who has ever had a social media account would know that in 2015, Power/Rangers ‒ a fan film co-written by Joseph Kahn and produced by Adi Shankar ‒ had contributed a lot of buzz with a grittier and darker version of what was a campy, often technicolour kid’s TV series by Saban/Hasbro; and this is where my path with Ludi Lin crosses.

Entering my consciousness with Lin playing the Black Ranger Zack Taylor in the reboot film, the trailers had made it seem like it would be more serious than the ’90s Mighty Morphin series, but still several steps lighter in tone compared to the “unauthorised” fan film that preceded it; though it might have been a sensitive topic to revisit considering the 2017 version was critically panned, grossing a total of US$142 million at the box office globally but struggling to turn a profit. Wanting to “test the mettle” of Mortal Kombat’s latest Liu Kang, I ask Lin if the dark dramatics of Kahn’s vision is what’s needed for cinematic success and his response is exceedingly thoughtful.