The fan-favorite 90s TV series and global marketing franchise, Power Rangers, are scheduled to begin morphing again on the small and big screens.
Jonathan Entwistle, the creator behind Netflix series It’s the End of the F—ing World, the adaption of the comic book series about a budding teen psychopath and a rebel hungry for adventure as they embark on a star-crossed road by Charles Forsman, has been tapped to engineer and shepherd the next series of screen adaptations of Power Rangers, the colorful Hasbro superhero property.
The property initially called The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, follows a group of kids who become superheroes, each with his or her own color-coordinated outfit and matching giant dinosaur robots, first aired on Fox Kids, then on the Disney-owned channel in the 2000s, followed by a theatrical film in 1995.
In 2017, Lionsgate produced and released a new feature film in an attempt to reboot the title. In the process of doing this, the movie made the property less kid-friendly and attempted to give it a more brooding YA edge. The film bombed at the box office, grossing only $142 million worldwide compared to the $100 million budget, thus scrapping plans for a series of films.
This announcement of the series relaunch comes as eOne, the production banner acquired by Hasbro in late 2019, has become more active in the development and the production of adaptations of Hasbro-based brands. A new Power Rangers feature was previously in development by Entwistle at Paramount. Still, now the reins have been taken by eOne, meaning Entwistle’s involvement will deepen as he acts as a conductor of a connected story universe that will bridge multiple platforms.
eOne’s film president Nick Meyer and global television president Michael Lombardo in a joint statement, reported by The Hollywood Reporter, said about Entwistle’s continued involvement.
“Jonathan has an incredible creative vision for this iconic and hugely successful franchise and is hands down the right architect to join us as we reimagine the television and film worlds of this property.”
“Across our slate, we are looking forward to working with the most talented storytellers as we take on Hasbro’s rich fan-favorite brands and build entertainment universes around them.”
When asked about his involvement, Entwistle, who created End of the F—ing World and co-created the recent series I’m Not Okay With This, both series centering on teens coming to grips with growing up, had this to say about the chance to work on the property.
“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.”
No date was announced as to when production will begin or release dates.
