You might think that The Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers—an inexplicably successful ’90s franchise about a group of American teenagers “with attitude” who find their lives edited into an old Japanese kung-fu show about robot dinosaurs—was a product of its time and place. “Well, that was nice while it lasted,” you imagine the show’s creators saying. “But it’s over. Time for us to start thinking creatively about new shows that are timely to today’s audiences. No sense in recycling 20-year-old ideas, hoping that there’s some sort of money to be made in lazily cashing in nostalgia. Not now and not ever.”
You might think Hollywood execs would be saying that, but today’s announcement sadly shows that you’re wrong. Lionsgate is partnering with Saban to “re-envision” the Rangers for a new movie, possibly the first in a franchise. “Lionsgate is the perfect home for elevating our Power Rangers brand to the next level,” said Saban in a statement. “They have the vision, marketing prowess and incredible track record in launching breakthrough hits from The Hunger Games to Twilight and Divergent.” And the world burst into spontaneous applause …
