Last summer, it was revealed that Hasbro's Power Rangers "cinematic universe," which was expected to include both an original television show alongside a slate of movies, had been scrapped by Netflix despite being in development for over two years.
Jonathan Entwistle (The End of the F***ing World) was originally set to oversee the franchise with Jenny Klein (Jessica Jones) serving as showrunner. Reboot plans subsequently stalled and it sounded like Hasbro was going back to the drawing board to figure out how best to monetize the iconic TV series the '90s kids among you will so fondly remember.
Today, The Wrap (via SFFGazette.com) has revealed that Percy Jackson and the Olympians showrunners Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz are in talks to write, produce, and serve as showrunners for a new live-action TV series.
Developed by 20th Century TV, the reboot will stream on Disney+.
The House of Mouse isn't necessarily where we expected Power Rangers to land, but the fact something is finally taking shape is bound to please fans. No plot details or even a timeline for when we'll see the series on the streamer have been revealed. It could still be early days for this one.
Still, fans will be hoping that this iteration fares better than the 2017 movie that attempted to put a superhero spin on the characters. It grossed only $142 million worldwide on a $100 million budget, slamming the door shut on sequel plans.
Hasbro has several projects in the works based on the many IPs it currently has on store shelves. Those include a Clue movie, a new live-action Dungeons & Dragons TV series titled Forgotten Realms, a Magic: The Gathering shared universe, and game shows inspired by Trivial Pursuit and Scrabble.
It's unclear what this news means for Percy Jackson and the Olympians as that series was recently renewed for a third season. Steinberg's other credits include Human Target and Black Sails, while Shotz has worked on See and The Old Man.
The Power Rangers franchise began in 1993 with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a TV series created by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy. It was adapted from Japan's Super Sentai series, blending footage of Japanese action sequences with newly filmed American scenes. The show became an instant hit, captivating kids with its mix of martial arts, giant robots, and colourful costumes.
Over time, the franchise expanded into films, comic books, toys, and video games, becoming a pop culture phenomenon. As noted, a 2017 effort meant to capitalise on the success of superheroes fell flat so we're optimistic this next take returns to the series' roots, Zords and all.
Stay tuned for Power Rangers updates as we have them.