Ever since the original team of teenagers with attitude morphed into action in 1993, the Power Rangers franchise has been going strong on television, and three years back, the Mighty Morphin’ incarnation of these multi-colored warriors got the cinematic reboot treatment. While the Power Rangers franchise has operated within a shared continuity on TV for decades now, it’s been announced that a new initiative is underway for the film and TV sides of the property to tie together.
Hasbro’s entertainment studio Entertainment One has tapped producer and director Jonathan Entwistle to shepherd new film and television adaptations of Power Rangers, with Entwistle set to direct across both formats. Entwistle is arguably best known for being the showrunner of The End of the F—king World, which ended last year after two seasons, and I’m Not Okay With This, which Netflix recently cancelled after just one season.
Here’s what Jonathan Entwistle had to say about the work he’ll be doing for the Power Rangers franchise in an official statement:
This is an unbelievable opportunity to deliver new Power Rangers to both new and existing generations of awaiting and adoring fans. We’ll bring the spirit of analog into the future, harnessing the action and storytelling that made this brand a success. I’m looking forward to working with the teams at eOne and Hasbro. Together, we can’t wait to share more Power Rangers with the world very soon
It should be noted that Jonathan Entwistle joining the Power Rangers franchise isn’t something that just happened. Last December, it was reported that he was in negotiations to direct a new Power Rangers movie for Paramount Pictures that wouldn’t be connected to the last one and would see this Ranger team time traveling back to the 1990s. It’s unclear if this particular project is still in the works (albeit at Entertainment One now) or if it’s been shelved, but either way, his role has now expanded from director of just one movie to creative architect across both film and TV.
Of the three theatrical Power Rangers movies that have been released over the last 25 years, only 1997’s Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie shared continuity with what the Power Rangers were doing on TV, with the movie basically serving as a pilot for the Turbo TV series. 1995’s Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie served as an alternate take on how the original Mighty Morphin’ team’s powers changed compared to what went down in the TV show, and 2017’s Power Rangers simply delivered fresh takes on Jason, Kimberly, Zack, Billy, Trini, Gordon, Alpha 5, Rita Repulsa and Goldar in the modern era.
Originally the plan was for the last Power Rangers movie to kick off a film series over at Lionsgate, with the immediate sequel intended to introduce Tommy, the Green Ranger. However, along with earning mixed critical reception, Power Rangers only made a little over $142 million off a $105 million budget, those film series plans were scrapped.
Currently Power Rangers Beast Morphers is finishing its second season on Nickelodeon, and Power Rangers Dino Fury will premiere next year. Now that Hasbro is keen on intertwining the film and TV sides of Power Rangers more closely together, it’ll be interesting to see how these deeper connections are specifically reflected on both the big and small screens, although there’s already a multiverse in place that easily allows for numerous Ranger teams to cross paths.
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more updates on this next iteration of the Power Rangers franchise, and look through our 2021 release schedule to learn what movies are supposed to hit theaters next year.
