About 10 months ago, we learned that  Roberto Orci would be executive producing the latest feature film  from the long-running series ‘Power Rangers’ for Lionsgate and Saban. ‘X-Men: First Class’ and ‘Thor’ writers Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz boarded shortly after that to work on the script, but production really kicked into gear in April when Dean Israelite was brought on to helm the project. And now that he’s a few months into the gig, the ‘Project Almanac’ director shares a few quick thoughts about the upcoming movie.

While speaking to IGN regarding the home release of his feature directorial debut, Israelite talked about his expectations for ‘Power Rangers’ and how they changed after he read the script. He even gives us a little glimpse at what we’ll be seeing when the film hits theaters in 2017:

“I read the script and was really surprised by it and thought there was a really cool, contemporary, mature but still playful, buoyant and fun take on the material, and was updated in a really interesting way. It had this wonderful character that’s essential to going on a fantastic adventure.

I was instantly drawn to it. I remember it as a kid. I grew up with it in South Africa. When I opened the script I had no idea how it was going to be updated, and I was really impressed by it. So I put a really big presentation together, because I needed to win the job. There were a lot of guys going out for it and saw the potential in it, so I put a really big presentation together and was lucky enough to get the job. We’re in sort of a soft pre-production right now, doing a lot of design work and reimagining the world. It’s really cool and exciting.”

Just like J.J. Abrams with ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ and Justin Lin with ‘Star Trek 3,’ it’s really cool to hear that Dean Israelite grew up with ‘Power Rangers’. In a lot of cases, this results in a certain reverence that wouldn’t be found with someone who wasn’t a fan of the material. Hopefully Israelite,

Lionsgate, and Saban’s “cool, contemporary, mature” approach results in a beloved addition to the legacy of this franchise.

Are you excited for ‘Power Rangers’? What do you think about director Dean Israelite’s comments regarding their adaptation? And what are some aspects of the TV series that you hope remain in the new cinematic version? Share your thoughts and theories in the comments below.