Epic has officially unveiled Fortnite's Power Rangers crossover with a live-action tokusatsu trailer that I can only describe as absolutely morphenomenal. Soon after the trailer went live, however, hardcore Power Rangers fans quickly noted that this thing goes beyond simply being a stylistic tribute to the original show – it appears to have even been filmed at one of the iconic locations from the original series.
The trailer starts by introducing an insect invasion in Fortnite's familiar CG style. But then, the Power Rangers appear, the screen goes 4:3, and we cut to live-action footage of stunt actors in bulky suits battling in ridiculous, stylized fight scenes. It's a perfect tribute to the '90s camp of the original series – especially once the Megazord appears – but that rocky desert where it all takes place might look extra familiar to fans.
"Wait. Holy shit," as raz notes on Twitter. "That was actually filmed at Vasquez Rocks. The clearing they are in is where they teleported into in Ninja Quest to find Ninjor. The rock formation seen at :28 is where the Command Center was."
Vasquez Rocks is a park north of LA, famous for its unusual rock formations and for serving as a background in pretty much every campy action and adventure show you can think of. Notably, it served as the setting for Kirk's infamous fight with the Gorn in original Star Trek, but that's just one among dozens upon dozens of times Hollywood has made use of the park.
The park also served as the location of the first big fight against the Putties in the OG Power Rangers, and the wide shot of the Command Center used throughout the early part of the show. Epic hasn't officially confirmed if this is where the Fortnite trailer was filmed, but the easy access Vasquez Rocks has offered to Hollywood-adjacent productions of all budgets suggests it wouldn't be terribly difficult to set up a shoot there.
We'll start to see the Power Rangers crossover take shape in Fortnite Season 4 Chapter 6, which kicks off on August 7.
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