Credit: Saban Entertainment / 20th Century StudiosAccording to an exclusive report from TheWrap, a new Power Rangers reboot is in the works for Disney+. The color-coded, spandex-wearing superheroes made famous during the early ’90s are now set to join Marvel and Star Wars on the streaming service giant.
While little is known about the series, it’s reportedly being spearheaded by Percy Jackson and the Olympians showrunners Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz. Per TheWrap, Disney has teamed up with Hasbro, the multinational toy and entertainment company.
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians showrunners Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz are in talks to write, show-run and produce a live-action Power Rangers series for Disney+ and 20th Century TV,” the article states. “Hasbro will produce the series, which will reinvent the franchise for a whole new generation of fans while delighting those who already know and love the world of Power Rangers.”
Now, there’s no better time to look back at the rich history of the Power Rangers franchise so that we’re up to speed with everything mighty and morphin’ before the new series hits Disney+.
Original Power Rangers TV Series
The original television series morphed onto our screens in 1993. Ingeniously combining color-coded superheroes with dinosaur-themed assault vehicles known as Zords, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which utilized footage from the Japanese show Super Sentai in addition to its original American footage, became an overnight pop culture phenomenon. It even completely dominated the toy market for several years thereafter.
Continued TV Series
Power Rangers maintained its original continuity for several seasons before undergoing numerous reinventions, from Power Rangers in Space in 1998 through to Power Rangers Cosmic Fury in 2023, spanning 24 iterations in total, which doesn’t include the original Mighty Morphin series through Power Rangers Turbo.
However, despite entirely new cast line-ups, the show continued to call upon legacy actors like Jason David Frank for cameos.
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Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
In 1995, the color-coded heroes ditched the spandex for armor in their theatrical debut, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.
In a separate continuity to the television series, the film, which grossed $66.4 million worldwide against its $15 million budget, saw several actors from the show reprise their roles, including Amy Jo Johnson (Kimberly Hart/the Pink Ranger) and Jason David Frank (Tommy Oliver/the Green Ranger).
Straight-To-Video Movie, Turbo
The straight-to-video film, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997), stars legacy actors such as Steve Cardenas (Rocky de Santos), Austin St. John (Jason Lee Scott), Amy Jo Johnson, and Jason David Frank.
However, unlike the big-screen 1995 film, Turbo failed to resonate with audiences and received mostly negative reviews for its low-budget quality and overly campy tone. Nevertheless, it paved the way for the Turbo television series.
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Power Rangers (2017)
2017 saw the release of the big-screen reboot, Power Rangers. Starring Naomi Scott (Kimberly Hart, the Pink Ranger) and Bryan Cranston (Zordon), the film, directed by Dean Israelite (Chronicle), grossed $142.5 million worldwide (over its $100-105 million budget) and was met with mostly positive reviews from audiences and critics. Unfortunately, the box office takings weren’t enough to justify the planned sequels and the series was scrapped.
MMPR Comics
The Power Rangers franchise has enjoyed several comic books over the decades, starting in 1994 and continuing to this day. From 2016, BOOM! Studios has overseen publication, which has included crossovers with other IPs like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Kimberly Hart/Pink Ranger actress Amy Jo Johnson also co-wrote the 2024 comic, “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return,” which reunites legacy characters in an alternate timeline.
MMPR Video Games
Like the comic books and television shows, there have been several video games since the Power Rangers franchise’s inception in the ’90s. More recently, fans were treated to “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Rita’s Rewind,” a retro-inspired side-scrolling beat ’em up developed for all major gaming consoles.
Similarly to “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge” (2022), the game is a celebration of the franchise’s early days.
Netflix Feature-Length Film, Once and Always
Released on Netflix in 2023, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always brought back several original actors, including David Yost (Billy Cranston, the Blue Ranger) and Catherine Sutherland (Katherine Hillard, the Pink Ranger).
The film follows the Rangers as they battle Rita Repulsa (Barbara Goodson). It uses audio archive footage for late actors, Thuy Trang (Trini Kwan, the Yellow Ranger) and Jason David Frank (Tommy Oliver, the Green Ranger).
Related: New ‘Power Rangers’ Cinematic Universe Reportedly Underway
New Disney+ Series
There are currently no other details about the upcoming Disney+ television series set to stream on Disney+. However, it’s wise to expect yet another reboot that resets previously established continuities like the original series, the films, or the comic books.
Either way, it’s exciting to see what the House of Mouse will do with the likes of Zordon, Alpha 5, the Zords, villains like Rita Repulsa and Goldar, all the other countless aliens that attack the city of Angel Grove on a weekly basis, and, of course, the Rangers themselves.
It’s also worth noting that this isn’t the first time Disney has overseen the IP —it acquired the franchise as part of a larger buyout of Fox Family Worldwide in 2001. But to cut a long story short, the rights reverted back to Haim Saban when he bought it back for $43 million.
What are your thoughts on a Disney+ Power Rangers series? Let us know what you think in the comments down below!