One property that seems to be cashing in on the growing trend of nostalgia is the long running kids show Power Rangers. The upcoming blockbuster of the same name is fast approaching, and which will surely set itself apart from the campy kids show which preceded it. And now it appears that an even more adult oriented Power Rangers product is in the works as well.
Adi Shankar is the showrunner for Netflix's upcoming animated Castlevania series. While speaking with Polygon about the video game adaptation, Shankar mentioned he's also cooking up a Power Rangers animated series. And it's not going to be kid friendly.
It's a complete retelling of the first three seasons. And it's going to be really fucking dark. Darker than any other Power Rangers series.
If this isn't enough to send your inner child into a screaming fit of excitement, you must have not been as Power Rangers crazy as I was. Being able to go back to the original stories is sure to be appealing for 90's kids, especially if its geared toward the adult audience. Adi Shankar revealed he'd like the series up and running in about a year, and is hoping that Netflix will be its home.
While Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was a silly (and poorly dubbed) action series for kids, it chock full of fighting. Every episode would see the teenagers with attitude fight Rita's putties, morph into their power suits, battle a monster, and then use their Zords for the conclusion. It's mostly non-stop battles, so having an R-Rated adaptation where the heroes actually hurt and bruise from their constant fighting would be a refreshing way to reintroduce adults to the franchise they so loved.
And while Mighty Morphin Power Rangers originally functioned as a procedural, the series eventually did develop overarching plots which would move forward with each episode. We saw Tommy's villainous Green Ranger be redeemed, the original Zords destroyed, and the Rangers even transformed into children. So there is a fair amount of material to cover when retelling the first three seasons.
Making the Power Rangers R-Rated reboot into an animated series actually seems like a stroke of brilliance. Because you can still use the likeness of the original actors, just through animated form. And in a way it would resurrect and honor the late Thuy Trang. The original Yellow Ranger died back in 2001, so seeing her likeness return to her most famous role would be heartwarming for the fans.
It should be interesting to see if the original cast members are offered to voice their characters in the upcoming animated series, if it ends up being picked up. Jason David Frank aka Tommy has been active in the franchise over the years, and Austin St. John (Jason) has also returned years later. Amy Jo Johnson (Kimberly) has an active acting and directing career in Canada, although I'm sure she'd be happy for another gig. The main question is whether original Blue Ranger David Yost would ever return to the franchise. He famously left the show due to on-set homophobia and bullying, so it would likely take some doing for him to return.
