Power Rangers was released in 2017 to mixed reviews and a disappointing $142.5 million box office haul on a reported $100+ million budget. Despite the franchise having a sizeable fanbase, neither they nor newcomers to the Rangers turned out for a superhero-inspired take on the team.
The movie boasted an impressive mix of young leads and well-known supporting stars, with Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Becky G, and Ludi Lin leading an ensemble that also included Bill Hader, Bryan Cranston, and Elizabeth Banks.
Montgomery, best known for his role in Stranger Things, played Jason, a.k.a. the Red Ranger. Between that and his role as Billy Hargrove, 2017 looked set to be a big year for the actor. However, Power Rangers wasn't the franchise starter he or Lionsgate expected.
In an interview with MovieWeb (via SFFGazette.com), Montgomery revealed that the cast each signed four-picture deals, with the expectation that three more movies would follow that opening chapter.
"It was my first job. It was literally the most formative period of my life," he recalled while promoting Faces of Death. "Like after wanting to be an actor for 10 years and not getting hired, and then getting that film, and yeah, it was a four-picture deal with Lionsgate. Similar sort of structure to what they did with Hunger Games. The same studio at the same time."
"Had a lot of ambitions. It had a lot of creative expansion of the franchise, of the IP. I had the best time with those cast. You know we’ve spoken about it before. They’re all amazing, including RJ. It was going to be a whole big thing, but what can you do, right? We’re talking about money, and big business, and it didn’t recoup or make enough on the investment that the studio had made to continue making more."
“I hear they’re rebooting it again. I think Saban might have sold the IP off. I’m excited for the future of that," Montgomery added. "Power Rangers means a great deal to a lot of people. Whoever steps into those shoes, I know that they’ll be great, and I had the best time."
Much to the dismay of many fans, Power Rangers revealed that Rita Repulsa was the original Green Ranger. It ended by teasing a new Green Ranger's debut in a possible sequel, and Lord Zedd seemed like a natural next threat for the teenagers.
Jonathan Entwistle (Karate Kid: Legends) and Jenny Klein (Daisy Jones & The Six) were chosen by Hasbro and Netflix in 2020 to serve as showrunners on a Power Rangers reboot for the streamer.
Four years later, that iteration of the project was scrapped, with Hasbro instead choosing to hand the keys to the Power Rangers kingdom to Disney+ and Percy Jackson and the Olympians creatives Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz. That version remains in the works and is thought to now be casting its leads.
Back to the 2017 movie, and it's not hard to see why those sequels didn't happen. The alien costumes and superhero origin story approach weren't a good fit for the characters, making the movie feel all too familiar rather than something new and fresh that did right by the classic TV series.
You can check out our recent interview with Montgomery in the player below.