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.
Entwistle has previously shared a few details about what he had planned for the franchise, and now trusted Power Rangers insider Jin x Supreme (@Jinsakuu) has weighed in (via SFFGazette.com). Teasing Entwisle's "bold," "ballsy" approach, he explained that the filmmaker's goal was to deliver a "real" show with an adult, dark, and gritty tone.
This take on Power Rangers would have been a Multiverse story, with past Rangers dying on screen and "actual Ranger wars with flying dragons" (prompting the X user to compare it to Game of Thrones).
We'd have even seen armoured suits, while a returning Tommy Oliver was set to lead a new group of Rangers.
This lines up with past comments from Entwistle, who has talked about his Multiversal vision for the property and wanting to establish Tommy and the mythology surrounding him as the centre of a Power Rangers Universe. Lord Drakkon, an evil version of Tommy Oliver, was set to be the main villain.
We don't know what Steinberg and Shotz have planned for Disney+'s Power Rangers, but it has recently been reported that Priyanka Chopra is being eyed for Rita Repulsa.
Mason Thames, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, Shaun Dixon, Paris Bravo, Judd Goodstein, Momoma Tamada, Christian Alexander Cruz, and Kira McLean are among those said to be in the mix to play the new Rangers.
More interestingly, the report claims actress Peyton Elizabeth Lee (Andi Mack, Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.) is all but guaranteed to join the series, with Mason Thames (The Black Phone, How To Train Your Dragon) also said to be in the mix. The site adds that Lee will be one of the main leads.
The Power Rangers franchise kicked off 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.
Power Rangers 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.
Make sure you keep checking back here for updates on Power Rangers as we have them.