Gender-Flipped Villain Pitch: Grimlord (VR Troopers)

Anyone here remember VR Troopers? It can't be just me. About a year after Mighty Morphin Power Rangers premiered, we kids of the 90s were treated to the underrated classic known as VR Troopers, which was one of many gems given to us by Saban Entertainment. A near bit-by-bit copycat of MMPR, the series centered on a trio of teens--Ryan Steele, Kaitlin Star, and JB Reese, who, after stumbling upon a secret lab, receive the power to transform (they dare not use the word "morph" in another series) into the titular VR Troopers, and their mission is to save reality and virtual reality from the subject of this pitch: Grimlord.

Ah, yes--Grimlord. Every bit as odious as he looks. As every episode of the series established, Grimlord had a human identity, that of CEO Karl Ziktor, who was ever bit as toxic as his alter-ego was. Every episode was formulaic. We see the teens, and then we see Ziktor go on and on about whatever evil he plans to do, and after that, he becomes Grimlord in a show of well done "Say the line, Bart" fashion:

"Forces of darkness, empower me! Take me back to my virtual reality!"

It's been over 30 years and I still get goosebumps from that line of dialogue.

Now, before I continue with the pitch, time for some fun facts. As expected, there were quite a few connections between this show and MMPR. For one, Kerrigan Mahan, who voiced Jeb (Ryan's dog) on this show, also voiced Goldar on MMPR. Brad Hawkins (Ryan) and Sarah Joy Brown (Kaitlin) made a few appearances on Power Rangers Zeo. Oh, and there's one more:

Yes, folks, that's him. The earliest version of VR Troopers was actually known as Cybertron, and it featured a solo hero named Adam Steele, played by the late, great, forever iconic Power Rangers GOAT, Jason David Frank. JDF taped this during his brief hiatus from MMPR, but once the popular demand for Tommy increased, JDF returned to the fray, and the show was retooled. VR Troopers lasted only two seasons; Season One relied on Japanese footage of Grimlord, but for Season Two, we were "treated" to American material of the big bad. There's a reason why I placed "treated" in quotation marks. I did not like the American footage of Grimlord, and I still don't. Grimlord looked like a bad-ass seated on his throne with his minions hailing them in Season One. In Season Two, Grimlord looked like a cosplaying troll.

When I started writing these gender-flipped villain pitches, Grimlord was one of the first ones I had in mind. This villain is screaming to be gender-flipped. A VR big bad whose human alter-ego is an evil CEO? Come on! An actress playing such a baddie would be absolutely epic. As for who could play a female Grimlord, I have a few suggestions:

Danielle Savre

Danielle Savre could definitely pull it off. I've seen her in a few things lately, and in quite a few of her appearances, Savre has played characters that range from suspicious to flat out villainous. In the case of her current role as Heather Tolin on Found, it's both. I'm definitely expecting a heel turn from Heather in due time, and I know this, Savre will nail it. She'd also play Grimlord perfectly, especially that sinister snarl in Grimlord's voice.

Catherine Bell

Every time I thought about writing this, Catherine Bell enters my mind. If I had a reason, it's probably because I've yet to see her play a villainess. Well, that, and Bell is my ideal choice to play a live action version of villainess Queen Beryl, but that's another story. Bell, best known for the Good Witch movies and the TV series, would also be golden as a gender-flipped Grimlord; she'd play the villain's ruthless nature very well.

Elizabeth Berkley

Imagine Elizabeth Berkley as a female Grimlord. Wouldn't that be delicious? If anyone can play an evil CEO, it's Berkley. I can see her nailing the Ziktor alter-ego to perfection, and she would give a great menacing performance as Grimlord. Berkley's only played one villainess that I know of, and every time I watch the Saved by the Bell repeats, I want Berkley to do the villainess thing again, at least two more times.

And guess what, folks? She's not the only SBTB name on this dream list:

Tiffani-Amber Thiessen

If Tiffani-Amber Thiessen ever plays a big bad in anything, I'll jump for joy higher than I did when Juan Soto hit that 10th inning home run in Game Five of the ALCS. Where do I start? Saved by the Bell made me a fan; 90210 turned it into a crush. Why? Oh, no reason. All she did was play a scheming, trash talking, cunning, and stunning vixen. That's all. Thiessen's Valerie Malone was deliciously wicked in her own right, but imagine her as a female version of Grimlord. Oh man! That would be absolutely epic!

But that's not all, folks. In another such pitch, I mentioned "ironic casting."

Sarah Joy Brown

One of the best bits of ironic casting would be if someone rebooted the show in some form, and actually casts Sarah Joy Brown as a female Grimlord. Imagine that. The very actress who played the lone female member of the Troopers, playing this villainous role. Now, you know my wheels always turn when it comes to this, and something like this could turn out two ways. Option A: it's a totally different character, Brown as a ruthless businesswoman who is actually Grimlord. Option B: Brown is back as Kaitlin Star, but she becomes Grimlord in an odd heel turn caused by something beyond her control, and she has to be saved. Either way, it would be delicious, and Sarah Joy Brown can pull it off.

So that is my pitch for a female version of Grimlord, and it includes many possibilities for actresses who could play her. Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below!