Aaand... It's Back Again! POWER/RANGERS Short Officially Returned To YouTube & Vimeo
Joseph Kahn's Power/Rangers short debuted to widespread acclaim last week, so when the copyright owners Saban had it pulled off the net, fans were understandably annoyed. However, it appears the two parties have since come to an agreement, and the short is back up!
By now, I'm sure you've all seen the "dark and gritty" Power/Rangers short that burst onto the scene on Monday. Directed by Joseph Kahn and produced by Punisher: Dirty Laundry's Adi Shankar, the fan film was praised for its production value and impressive visuals. Many fans also claimed to enjoy the darker, more mature interpretation of the (former) "teenagers with attitude".
One person who wasn't so impressed by the fan film was the franchise's owner, Haim Saban. Saban's lawyers had the video removed from both Vimeo and YouTube - citing copyright concerns. What followed was a huge internet backlash towards the franchise owners, with many calling into question what constitutes a 'copyright breach' and a 'parody'. Both Shankar and Kahn firmly maintained their fan film rested in the latter category.
However, last night Deadline reported that the dispute between Saban and Shankar has been settled - and the short has subsequently been returned to both Vimeo and YouTube. Notably, it now has a newly imposed age-restriction on the latter, and has been re-titled to "POWER/RANGERS: UNAUTHORIZED & VIOLENT [BOOTLEG UNIVERSE]". The video has so far had over 12.5 million views - and you can, once again, check it out below:
It's worth noting that Saban and Lionsgate do have an upcoming Power Rangers movie themselves - due for a 2016 release. The main criticism Shankar & Kahn have received was over the heavy use of strong language/violence in a property that was originally created for kids. Saban clearly believed this short was tarnishing their 'brand'. However, many will argue that it has instead had the complete opposite effect - pushing 'Power Rangers' back into the spotlight.
When asked about the controversy by Deadline, Kahn replied:
"They put these disclaimers on so kids so don’t confuse our super-violent film with their Power Rangers brand. There are no hard feelings. We signed contracts. We can play it anywhere we want on all platforms. I think they realized that people just want to see it."
What do you think of the recent Power/Rangers dispute? Were you a fan of the short - and did it make you more interested in seeing a Power Rangers feature film? Or has it just been one big fuss over nothing? As always, let us know down below!
About The Author:
Minty
Member Since
11/27/2013
Follow Minty on:
