Though it may be hard to believe, this year marks the 30th anniversary of the debut of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the 1993 series that launched a TV and merchandise empire. In the years that followed the show’s unprecedented success, various movies and different iterations of the property have been released, expanding the scope, scale, and lore of the incredibly popular (and financially successful) franchise.
To honor the big anniversary and lasting legacy of the brand, Netflix is planning to release Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, a reunion special that will see some of the original cast members suit up for the first time in decades. Below is a breakdown of everything we know about the upcoming special, including its release date, who will and won’t be returning, and other things we can expect to go down when we hear that classic theme song on our TV sets once again.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always Premieres April 19th On Netflix
Power Rangers fans who also happen to have a Netflix subscription will be glad to hear that Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always is scheduled to premiere April 19th on the streaming platform. Netflix announced the special’s release date on its official Twitter account in January 2023, a post that also boasted the return of several of the original and early Power Rangers.
Netflix has yet to reveal specifics about the anniversary special’s runtime, but it could honestly be as long as the original episodes and fans would still be stoked.
The Power Rangers Reunion Special Will See The Return Of Original Cast Members Walter Emanuel Jones And David Yost
When Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always premieres on Netflix this spring, it will include two of the original rangers in addition to some of the heroes from later seasons, and one of the show’s most iconic villains. In a first look article published by Entertainment Weekly in January 2023, it was revealed that Walter Emanuel Jones and David Yost would be morphing into action as the Black Ranger and Blue Ranger, respectively, which is big news considering neither has been involved with the franchise since the mid-90s.
Jones, who joined the cast as Zach Taylor in the show's first season, bowed out in 1994, just as the property was really taking off, and was not featured in the 1995 theatrical release of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie. Yost, who later revealed he was pushed out of the role because of his sexuality, played Billy Cranston until his 1996 departure.
The Entertainment Weekly article also revealed that several cast members from later in the show’s original run would also be showing up in the upcoming special, including Catherine Sutherland, Steven Cardenas, Karan Ashley, and Johnny Yong Bosch, who played later iterations of the Pink, Red, Yellow, and Black Rangers, respectively.
The Scripted 30th Anniversary Special Will Follow The Power Rangers As They Take On A Familiar Threat
Not a whole lot has been revealed about the story that will be told in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, but the Power Rangers will come “face to face with a familiar threat from the past,” according to Entertainment Weekly. That threat has yet to be announced, but considering Barbara Goodson, who provided the voice of OG villain Rita Repulsa in the original series and 1995 movie, will be present, there’s a good chance we’ll be seeing the iconic nemesis and her goons once again causing mayhem in Angel Grove.
Other villains in the series have yet to be revealed at this point, but with so many memorable antagonists like Zedd, Goldar, and even Ivan Ooze, it wouldn’t be all that surprising if Rita had some extra help from her former compatriots and rivals.
Whatever the threat may be, the Power Rangers will have an old ally in their corner, as Richard Horvitz will once again be voicing Alpha 5. Ai-yi-yi!
Despite The Green Ranger Being Featured In The Reunion Special, It Won’t Be The Late Jason David Frank In The Suit
In January 2023, the official Power Rangers YouTube account posted a behind-the-scenes featurette of the making of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, in which the Green Ranger can be spotted a few times. However, this is not Jason David Frank, the original Green Ranger and White Ranger actor who died at the age of 49 in November 2022, as he didn’t want to be involved with the project prior to his passing.
In a May 2022 Facebook live stream (via Yahoo!), Frank explained his reasoning for not participating in the project, stating that he had “done enough for the Power Rangers brand” since first playing Tommy Oliver 30 years ago.
Jason David Frank won’t be the only OG Power Ranger to not show up in the special, as Amy Jo Johnson, who portrayed Kimberly Hart, the first Pink Ranger, way back when, has gone on the record to say she won’t be appearing, though she was looking forward to watching.
David Yost Has Said The 30th Anniversary Special Offers A ‘Different Take’ On The Franchise
A lot has changed since David Yost last portrayed Billy Cranston on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and the original star of the show is excited to suit up once again as the Blue Ranger. In the Once & Always behind-the-scenes featurette, Yost talked about how much different the anniversary special will be, while also not losing the feel of the original series:
It's such a different take on what we've done before, but a lot of the same elements are there.
Yost didn’t go into much detail about what exactly he meant by a “different take” on the property, but it’s exciting to think about how the original characters (and those putties) will look and feel in the 21st Century.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always Is Dedicated To Jason David Frank And Original Yellow Ranger Thuy Trang
When Hasbro was announcing the rollout of the Power Rangers 30th anniversary, the toy company also announced that the upcoming special will be dedicated to Jason David Frank and original Yellow Ranger Thuy Trang, who passed away at the age of 27 in a 2001 car crash. It has yet to be revealed how the Netflix special will honor the late stars when it premieres in April.
Expect to hear more about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always as we get closer to its release. In the meantime, take a look at all the other 2023 Netflix movies that will be coming to the streamer in the next few months.
