Director Jonathan Entwistle reveals the details of a scrapped Power Rangers reboot. Power Rangers fans have been following the news of a reboot for years now, getting one disappointing update after another. When the 2017 Power Rangers feature film bombed at the box office — grossing just over $142 million against a $100 million budget — the plan for multiple sequels was scrapped. Since then, a reboot movie was announced, then scrapped, followed by a reboot TV series. However, nothing has come to fruition.
Recently, Jonathan Entwistle, who is directing the upcoming Karate Kid: Legends, divulged details on Reddit of both the scrapped Power Rangers reboot movie and series, which focused on Lord Drakkon and a new Tommy Oliver. The movie would center around the mythology of Tommy Oliver, and be a “time-bending HUGE story“ about stopping Drakkon from rising to power. However, due to company shakeups, the reboot movie was scrapped, and the plan became to make a Power Rangers reboot TV series with Netflix. Unfortunately, due to more corporate changes, that reboot dissolved as well. Check out Entwistle’s comments below:
Jonathan Entwistle: From as early as 2018 I had created an entire new universe for Power Rangers – kind of a multiverse (it was v fashionable back then haha) I wasn’t doing MMPR specifically, but Tommy Oliver was the center of the world, all the mythology was surrounding him being one of the most important people in the universe… because we all know what he would become. So it was basically a time-bending HUGE story about stopping Drakkon from taking power over everything. The TV series had a kind of really cool King Arthur-vibe, that was the angle, more mystical, magical to start us off. Jenny Klein who was writing that show also came up with a very very cool idea for sentient colors… but alas, it never went anywhere. Which sucks, I would’ve LOVED to have made that universe a reality!
I was working on Power Rangers waaaay back in 2018 when it was at Paramount. I was writing a movie version. Then Hasbro bought eOne and it was all shaken up again, the movie was shelved and then a TV series became the new focus, I started work on that, mapping out how that could work with multiple movies, shows and animations – we worked closely with Netflix on all of that. And then eOne was no more and the whole concept of the show and movies just got lost in that shuffle. It really sucks because it was such a cool approach, Star Wars level, but I think Hasbro just couldn’t get everyone behind the same approach.
What Jonathan Entwistle’s Scrapped Power Rangers Show Means For The Franchise
Power Rangers Is Now Set To Get A Disney+ Show
For Power Rangers fans who have been holding out hope for a reboot, it’s a real blow that corporate acquisitions and dissolution have prevented us from getting one for so long — especially now that we know how cool Jonathan Entwistle’s idea was. Unfortunately, when you combine an incredibly popular IP like Power Rangers ​​​​​​with the constantly fluctuating and evolving entertainment industry, that’s what can sometimes happen.
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However, all hope is not lost, as there are currently plans for yet another Power Rangers reboot on Disney+. The proposed live-action reboot series would be helmed by the showrunners of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz. While Power Rangers fans may be jaded about news of yet another reboot, after the franchise’s failure to get one off the ground for so long, the fact that Hasbro has constantly kept at it should be cause for some optimism.
Our Take On The Canceled Power Rangers Show
It Would’ve Included Elements From The BOOM! Studio Comics
Honestly, we’re a little bummed that neither of Jonathan Entwistle’s Power Rangers reboots got made. It seems like he poured his heart and soul into these projects, and he’s clearly a fan of the franchise. After all, Lord Drakkon has never appeared in a Power Rangers movie or show, as he was an original character from the BOOM! comics. It would have been very cool to see him on our screens.
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That said, even though details about the Disney+ Power Rangers reboot are scarce, the creative team behind the project is ideal. Percy Jackson and the Olympians is a thrilling yet heartfelt series, and Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz completely redeemed the franchise after the two middling Percy Jackson movies. They could be exactly what we need to get Power Rangers back on track.
Power Rangers
- Created by
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Haim Saban, Shuki Levy, Shotaro Ishinomori
- First TV Show
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Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers
Summary
Power Rangers is a long-running multimedia franchise that debuted in 1993 with the TV series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Created by Haim Saban and adapted from the Japanese Super Sentai series, Power Rangers became a cultural phenomenon by combining action-packed footage from Super Sentai with new scenes featuring American actors. The franchise follows teams of young heroes who transform into Power Rangers to battle various villains, using martial arts, special powers, and giant mechas called Zords. Over the decades, the franchise has expanded into multiple TV series, films, comics, video games, and merchandise, becoming one of the most successful children’s franchises in the world.
