Four years after Jason David Frank died at the age of 49, his final project is finally getting a theatrical release. Legend of the White Dragon will open in cinemas on August 28, 2026.
Frank originated the role of Tommy Oliver, the Green Ranger, in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, one of the most iconic characters in the franchise's history. He later returned as the White Ranger and occasionally as a Red Ranger before officially retiring from the Power Rangers franchise in 2022. Rather than take part in the 30th-anniversary special Power Rangers: Once & Always, he turned his energy toward Legend of the White Dragon, a passion project he had been developing for years.
He died on November 19, 2022, before the film was completed.
According to Screen Rant, the project grew from a collaboration between Frank and filmmaker Aaron Schoenke that began in 2013. The first Kickstarter campaign launched on July 18, 2019. By the time the film reaches theaters this August, seven years will have passed from that initial crowdfunding launch. The road was not smooth. Crowdfunding complications, COVID-19 shutdowns, and post-production delays pushed the release repeatedly, at points making it seem like the film might never arrive.
In Legend of the White Dragon, Frank plays Erik Reed, a former superhero known as the White Dragon who has been living as a fugitive after taking blame for a tragedy. When a villain called Dragon Prime threatens his city and family, Reed decides to reclaim his identity and his role as a hero.
The film draws clear inspiration from Frank's Power Rangers legacy. His White Dragon costume visually blends elements of both the Green Ranger and White Ranger suits. The story exists in a separate universe from Power Rangers, but leans into similar large-scale action and color-coded heroics. In the trailer, a character asks Reed which color outfit he wants, and he takes the one with green.
For fans who followed Frank's career across decades of Power Rangers appearances and convention appearances, the film represents something more than a superhero movie. It is the last performance he recorded, a project he promoted enthusiastically in the final months of his life and one that he clearly saw as a capstone.
Legend of the White Dragon opens August 28.
