After Dean Israelite's Power Rangers failed to launch the franchise into a new era, it seemed as though that would be the last time any studio would take a shot at a reboot. However, it looks like Hasbro is not giving up on the colorful heroes just yet as the company, which recently acquired Entertainment One studios, has officially confirmed its plans for a full-on Rangers revival. Execs are convinced that there is still much room for the franchise to evolve and become successful among a new generation of viewers.
During Hasbro's Investor Event this year, CEO Brian Goldner and his corporate partners revealed their plans for "supercharging" the brand and "creating opportunities for growth" via their robust portfolio of mass-appeal entertainment properties. During the discussion, upcoming plans for multiple Hasbro-owned franchises were revealed, including those for Transformers, My Little Pony, Dungeons & Dragons, and Power Rangers.
For Power Rangers, Olivier Dumont, the President of Family Brands at Entertainment One Ltd., began with an update on the current iteration of Power Rangers called Dino Fury. The show, which is fully in production in New Zealand for two seasons despite the ongoing pandemic, constitutes only one part of the studio's plans for the massive franchise expansion. Dumont added that the show will be released on Netflix and Nickelodeon after production.
Steve Bertram, the President of Film and Television at Entertainment One Ltd., then took over to give more details on upcoming Rangers projects beyond Dino Fury. Calling the initiative a "top priority," Bertram announced that they will be creating a whole new Power Rangers shared universe with several installments in film, premium TV, animation, and kids content.
He also made official the appointment of Jonathan Entwistle, producer of Netflix's The End of the F***ing World, to oversee the Power Rangers' future, saying that Entwistle has "a great passion" for the characters and will be the one to "architect the universe." Bertram promises that the initiative will completely reinvent the team in hopes of sparking new interest in the beloved franchise.
According to rumors, Entwistle's reboot may revolve around the Power Rangers traveling through time back to the 1990s. The film will likely capitalize on '90s nostalgia and go back to its cheery and campy roots, departing from the serious tone that Israelite went with for the 2017 reboot. Additionally, now that Hasbro has bought out the entire Power Rangers brand, it is expected that the company will also make an aggressive push into the toys and merchandise market, where it has typically seen much success.
Power RangersDino Fury is currently airing on Nickelodeon.
Source: Hasbro