Hasbro Entertainment is set to revive the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers franchise with a brand-new live-action series for Disney+ and 20th Century Television. Described as a “reinvention” of the iconic series by TheWrap, this project marks the first new Power Rangers series since Power Rangers Cosmic Fury in 2023. Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz, the showrunners behind Disney+’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians, have been tapped to write, produce, and lead the series’ development.
Hasbro Shifts Creative Strategy for Power Rangers, Finding a New Home at Disney+
Hasbro’s commitment to expanding the Power Rangers brand began in 2018 when the company acquired Saban’s Power Rangers and other assets in a $522 million deal. This investment signaled Hasbro’s intention to unlock the full potential of the franchise. Over recent years, Hasbro has produced various projects, including the Netflix movie Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, which celebrated the show’s 30th anniversary in 2023.
Hasbro Reimagines Mighty Morphin Power Rangers with New Live-Action Series Set for Disney+Initially, a new Power Rangers series was announced in 2022 with Jenny Klein as the showrunner, intended for Netflix. However, by 2024, Hasbro decided to move away from that project and pursue a different creative path. The Netflix-based Power Rangers Cinematic Universe (PRCU), overseen by Jonathan Entwistle, was also scrapped. Instead, Hasbro found a new partner in Disney’s 20th Television, leading to this latest reboot now bound for Disney+.
Power Rangers’ Cinematic Hurdles and the Franchise’s Historic Return to Its Disney Roots
Before this new development, there were plans for a Power Rangers reboot film set in the 1990s, directed by Entwistle for Paramount Pictures, but it never materialized. The most recent theatrical attempt to revive the franchise was Lionsgate’s 2017 Power Rangers movie. Despite these setbacks, Hasbro’s focus on revamping the Power Rangers universe reflects the enduring popularity and potential of the brand across different media platforms.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers first launched in 1993, quickly becoming a massive pop culture hit. Over the decades, it has produced nearly 1,000 episodes and remains one of the longest-running kids’ live-action series. Disney previously owned the franchise in the early 2000s after acquiring Saban Entertainment and produced several series during that time. Though Saban re-acquired the franchise in 2010, Power Rangers’ return to Disney now represents a full-circle moment in the franchise’s storied history.