Credit: Lionsgate / SabanA brand-new Power Rangers reboot will soon be streaming on Netflix in the form of a 30th anniversary reunion special, titled Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always (2023).
The highly anticipated feature-length special will, however, come as a bitter pill for many fans, following the recent tragic passing of beloved Power Rangers icon Jason David Frank, who will be forever remembered for portraying Tommy Oliver/the Green Ranger/the White Ranger.
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The show will star David Yost, Walter Jones, Austin St. Jones, Catherine Sutherland, Steve Cardenas, Karan Ashley, Johnny Yong Bosch, Barbara Goodson, and Richard Horvits, who will be reprising their roles as Billy Cranston, Zack Taylor, Jason Scott, Katherine Hillard, Rocky DeSantos, Aisha Campbell, Adam Park, Rita Repulsa, and Alpha 5, respectively.
Also joining the fold is newcomer Charlie Kersh as Minh, the daughter of original Yellow Ranger Trini played by Thuy Trang, who tragically died in a car accident in 2001 at the age of 27.
Check out the new Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always featurette below:
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Unfortunately, though, beloved original Pink Ranger actress Amy Jo Johnson won’t be returning. This will disappoint countless fans, as her character Kimberley Hart remains a fan-favorite, just like Jason David Frank’s Tommy Oliver.
Johnson, 52, who is now a successful television director, shared a tweet explaining her absence from the show in response to online speculation that she wouldn’t be appearing, “For the record, I never said no… I just didn’t say yes to what was offered.”
“For the record I never said no…I just didn’t say yes to what was offered. But other fun stuff is in-store! Looking forward to watching my friends kick ass! #PowerRangers30″
For the record I never said no…I just didn’t say yes to what was offered. But other fun stuff is in-store! Looking forward to watching my friends kick ass! 😘 #PowerRangers30
— Amy Jo Johnson (@_amyjojohnson) January 18, 2023
Following the death of Jason David Frank, Johnson took to YouTube in an emotional video to talk about the loss of her close friend. The pair worked together for many years on the hit ’90s show, and also appeared in the big-screen adaptation Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995). More recently, they also shared a cameo in the 2017 reboot Power Rangers (2017).
While the Green Ranger does appear in the new trailer for the 30th anniversary special, it is not known who will be playing the character, or whether it’s even Tommy Oliver under the helmet. However, the last project Jason David Frank worked on, titled Legend of the White Dragon (TBA), is expected to release at some point in the near future.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always premiers on Netflix on April 19, 2023.
Will you be tuning in to watch Netflix’s Power Rangers reboot? Let us know in the comments down below!