Power Rangers has been around since 1993, with new seasons coming out almost every year since the original Mighty Morphin series. The show celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2023 with the releases of Power Rangers: Once & Always and Power Rangers Cosmic Fury, both of which were Netflix originals. Interestingly, Power Rangers Cosmic Fury’s ending played out like a conclusion not just to the Dino Fury series but to the entire saga, suggesting the show was indeed about to be rebooted. Despite my excitement about a Power Rangers reboot, I feared this would be a tricky project to pull off.

Rebooting Power Rangers Continues To Be Difficult 7 Years After The Movie

Reinventing Power Rangers after 30 seasons is challenging

Rebooting the Power Rangers franchise for a new format and audience is very difficult, as proven by the 2017 Power Rangers movie. While the film received good reviews and pleased long-time fans and new audiences alike, it performed poorly at the box office. Power Rangers (2017) grossed $142 million on a $100 million budget, killing any chances of a sequel ever happening. Although I was disappointed that Power Rangers 2 never happened, the decision made sense from a financial standpoint. The 2017 movie’s failure made me realize how hard it is for Power Rangers to grow beyond its formula.

It is unclear what led to Netflix’s Power Rangers show not moving forward, but the fact is that any type of Power Rangers reboot would come with a risk. Power Rangers has been a show primarily aimed at children for 30 years, while an all-original Netflix series would likely be aimed at young adults. Power Rangers has proven that it can tell more mature stories, as seen with the 2017 movie and BOOM! Studio comics. Still, turning a “kids show franchise" into a more modern series that can compete with other superhero IPs is a complex process.

The lack of updates on the Power Rangers reboot also made me worried that it was eventually going to be canceled or reworked into something different. A new interconnected Power Rangers universe that would consist of movies and shows overseen by Jonathan Entwistle was announced in 2020, but not much else has been revealed about it ever since. With Entwistle now directing the new Karate Kid movie for Sony Pictures, it remains to be seen whether he will still be attached to this Power Rangers reinvention. Hopefully, the reboot not moving forward at Netflix isn’t the end of the project.

Power Rangers Moving Away From Super Sentai Will Not Be Easy

Cosmic Fury showed the challenges of not adapting Sentai

Another tricky part of rebooting Power Rangers is moving away from Super Sentai shows. Presumably, the Netflix series was going to be an all-original story instead of a Super Sentai localization like all the other Power Rangers seasons. After three decades of combining Sentai footage and original scenes, Power Rangers has created a visual identity that is difficult to move away from. It must be noted, however, that Power Rangers had been slowly moving away from Sentai already, particularly in 2023. Once & Always was mostly American footage, the only exception being a brief Rita Repulsa shot from the original series.

Likewise, Cosmic Fury was virtually not a Super Sentai adaptation, using Kyuranger footage only for the Zord and Megazord fights. Although Cosmic Fury incorporated some Kyuranger elements, including the Cosmic Orbs, everything else was created for the show. This includes the divisive Power Rangers Cosmic Fury costumes, making it the first entry in the franchise to have an all-original set of suits instead of using the Super Sentai ones. While Cosmic Fury was my favorite Power Rangers season in years, the show dealt with some criticism regarding the wasted potential of not fully adapting Kyuranger.

Can Power Rangers Season 31 Still Happen After Cosmic Fury’s Ending?

Power Rangers’ future is unclear

Following the reports that a Power Rangers reboot for Netflix was in development, I assumed that Cosmic Fury was going to be the last season of the show’s current format. The end of Cosmic Fury, which even brought Zordon back and saw Lord Zedd’s ultimate defeat, made it even more likely that this was going to be the conclusion of the original Power Rangers saga. Cosmic Fury’s ending had its own “Avengers: Endgame” moment, with multiple Megazords from the past led by original Blue Ranger Billy showing up in the last minute for the final fight.

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However, now that the new series is not moving forward at Netflix, I’m interested to see what the show’s future will be in the next couple of years. Power Rangers hadn’t skipped a year since 2010, during which a re-edited version of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was the only thing the franchise aired. I believe Power Rangers entering a hiatus is actually good for the series, especially given how satisfying Cosmic Fury’s final episode was. It may take time for Power Rangers to reinvent itself, but the result can be worth it.

What The Power Rangers Reboot Should Look Like

Power Rangers has many options for a reboot

A Power Rangers reboot would have many different paths to follow. One would be to tell an original story featuring brand-new characters, either set in the same continuity as the previous shows or in a different Power Rangers chronology. Another possibility would be to reboot Mighty Morphin Power Rangers with new actors playing Jason, Zack, Trini, Billy, Kimberly, and Tommy. This would be similar to what the 2017 movie did by reinventing the classic show with a new cast. Lastly, Power Rangers could borrow from the comics, which are a reboot of Mighty Morphin set in modern days.

BOOM! Studios’ Power Rangers comics have arguably been the highlight of the franchise in the last few years. From instant classic sagas like Shattered Grid to radically different takes on the series like Darkest Hour, the comics are a great example of how to reinvent Power Rangers for a new audience while honoring everything the show has already done. While I would like to see a live-action adaptation of the comics, I would also be interested in new Power Rangers stories set in a different continuity. Regardless, I cannot wait to see what is next for Power Rangers.

Source: TV Line

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Release Date

September 29, 2023

Showrunner

Simon Bennett

Writers

Simon Bennett

Cast

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  Russell Curry
• 
  Hunter Deno

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Power Rangers Cosmic Fury is the sequel to the Dino Fury series and marks the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Power Rangers franchise. The show follows a new team of Rangers, ed by old heroes, to chase Lord Zedd into the depths of space and stop him once and for all.

Seasons

1

Streaming Service(s)

Netflix

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