Summary
Netflix’sPower Rangersreboot show has reportedly been canceled, and while the project may find a new home under a new format, this confirms my worst fears about the future of the series. According toTV Line,Netflix’sPower RangersshowbyDaisy Jones & The Sixproducer Jenny Klein andI Am Not Okay With Thisco-creator Jonathan Entwistle will not be moving forward. Although it is unclear why the project, which has been in development for two years, won’t happen,Hasbro Entertainment is reportedly looking for a new creative partner to continue its newPower Rangersproject.
Power Rangershas been around since 1993, with new seasons coming out almost every year since the originalMighty Morphinseries. The show celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023 with the releases ofPower Rangers: Once & AlwaysandPower Rangers Cosmic Fury, both of which were Netflix originals. Interestingly,Power Rangers Cosmic Fury’s endingplayed out like a conclusion not just to theDino Furyseries but to the entire saga, suggesting the show was indeed about to be rebooted. Despite my excitement about aPower Rangersreboot, I feared this would be a tricky project to pull off.
Rebooting Power Rangers Continues To Be Difficult 7 Years After The Movie
Reinventing Power Rangers after 30 seasons is challenging
Rebooting thePower Rangersfranchise for a new format and audience is very difficult, as proven by the 2017Power Rangersmovie. While the film received good reviews and pleased long-time fans and new audiences alike, it performed poorly at the box office.Power Rangers(2017) grossed $142 million on a $100 million budget, killing any chances of a sequel ever happening. Although I was disappointed thatPower Rangers2never happened, the decision made sense from a financial standpoint. The 2017 movie’s failure made me realize how hard it is forPower Rangersto grow beyond its formula.
Power Rangershadn’t skipped a year since 2010, during which a re-edited version ofMighty Morphin Power Rangerswas the only thing the franchise aired.
It is unclear what led to Netflix’sPower Rangersshow not moving forward, but the fact is that any type ofPower Rangersreboot would come with a risk.Power Rangershas been a show primarily aimed at children for 30 years, while an all-original Netflix series would likely be aimed at young adults.Power Rangershas proven that it can tell more mature stories, as seen with the 2017 movie and BOOM! Studio comics. Still, turning a “kids show franchise" into a more modern series that can compete with other superhero IPs is a complex process.
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The lack of updates on thePower Rangersreboot also made me worried that it was eventually going to be canceled or reworked into something different. A newinterconnectedPower Rangersuniversethat would consist of movies and shows overseen by Jonathan Entwistle was announced in 2020, but not much else has been revealed about it ever since. With Entwistle now directing the newKarate Kidmovie for Sony Pictures, it remains to be seen whether he will still be attached to thisPower Rangersreinvention. Hopefully, the reboot not moving forward at Netflix isn’t the end of the project.
Power Rangers Moving Away From Super Sentai Will Not Be Easy
Cosmic Fury showed the challenges of not adapting Sentai
Another tricky part of rebootingPower Rangersis moving away fromSuper Sentaishows. Presumably, the Netflix series was going to be an all-original story instead of aSuper Sentailocalization like all the otherPower Rangersseasons. After three decades of combiningSentaifootage and original scenes,Power Rangershas created a visual identity that is difficult to move away from.It must be noted, however, thatPower Rangershad been slowly moving away fromSentaialready, particularly in 2023.Once & Alwayswas mostly American footage, the only exception being a brief Rita Repulsa shot from the original series.
Likewise,Cosmic Furywas virtually not aSuper Sentaiadaptation, usingKyurangerfootage only for the Zord and Megazord fights. AlthoughCosmic Furyincorporated someKyurangerelements, including the Cosmic Orbs, everything else was created for the show. This includes the divisivePower Rangers Cosmic Furycostumes, making it the first entry in the franchise to have an all-original set of suits instead of using theSuper Sentaiones. WhileCosmic Furywas my favoritePower Rangersseason in years, the show dealt with some criticism regarding the wasted potential of not fully adaptingKyuranger.
Can Power Rangers Season 31 Still Happen After Cosmic Fury’s Ending?
Power Rangers’ future is unclear
Following the reports that aPower Rangersreboot for Netflix was in development, I assumed thatCosmic Furywas going to be the last season of the show’s current format. The end ofCosmic Fury, which even brought Zordon back and saw Lord Zedd’s ultimate defeat, made it even more likely that this was going to be the conclusion of the originalPower Rangerssaga.Cosmic Fury’s ending had its own “Avengers: Endgame” moment, with multiple Megazords from the past led byoriginal Blue Ranger Billyshowing up in the last minute for the final fight.
Why Power Rangers’ Newest Team Made Me Fall In Love With The Show Again
Power Rangers’ most recent team gave the show its best seasons in years, Dino Fury and Cosmic Fury, both of which combined nostalgia with new ideas.
However, now that the new series is not moving forward at Netflix, I’m interested to see what the show’s future will be in the next couple of years.Power Rangershadn’t skipped a year since 2010, during which a re-edited version ofMighty Morphin Power Rangerswas the only thing the franchise aired.I believePower Rangersentering a hiatus is actually good for the series, especially given how satisfyingCosmic Fury’s final episode was. It may take time forPower Rangersto reinvent itself, but the result can be worth it.
What The Power Rangers Reboot Should Look Like
Power Rangers has many options for a reboot
APower Rangersreboot would have many different paths to follow. One would be to tell an original story featuring brand-new characters, either set in the same continuity as the previous shows or in a differentPower Rangerschronology. Another possibility would be to rebootMighty Morphin Power Rangerswith new actors playing Jason, Zack, Trini, Billy, Kimberly, and Tommy. This would be similar to what the 2017 movie did by reinventing the classic show with a new cast. Lastly,Power Rangerscould borrow from the comics, which are a reboot ofMighty Morphinset in modern days.
Apart fromR.P.M.andDino Charge, everyPower Rangersshow takes place in the same universe.
BOOM! Studios’Power Rangerscomics have arguably been the highlight of the franchise in the last few years. From instant classic sagas likeShattered Gridto radically different takes on the series likeDarkest Hour, the comics are a great example of how to reinventPower Rangersfor a new audience while honoring everything the show has already done. While I would like to see a live-action adaptation of the comics, I would also be interested in newPower Rangersstories set in a different continuity. Regardless, I cannot wait to see what is next forPower Rangers.
Power Rangers Cosmic Fury
Cast
Power Rangers Cosmic Fury is the sequel to the Dino Fury series and marks the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Power Rangers franchise. The show follows a new team of Rangers, joined by old heroes, to chase Lord Zedd into the depths of space and stop him once and for all.
