Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Power Rangers

  • Netflix No Longer Moving Forward With ‘Power Rangers’ Series

    Netflix No Longer Moving Forward With ‘Power Rangers’ Series

    Sadly, it seems like one of my personal fan-favorite franchises is no longer moving forward. After 2 years of investment, it appears that Netflix has decided no longer to start moving forward with a new Power Rangers TV series. Jenny Klein was attached as showrunner with Jonathan Entwistle set to overview an entire “cinematic universe” for the streamer.

    Sadly, no reasons are given as to why exactly Netflix is no longer moving forward with the franchise. TVLine claims that Hasbro Entertainment is interested in taking the series into a new creative direction (heavy considering they invested two years into this vision to begin with) and is looking for a new partner.

    It should be noted that there’s no mention of Klein and Entwistle. So, we don’t know if they are still attached as part of this new creative direction. The positive aspect to this is that the franchise has a bit of a higher chance for a longer runtime given Netflix’s track record but it also opens up the question if it even finds a new home. For now, we can just keep an eye open for any updates on this cinematic universe.

    Source: TVLine

  • REVIEW: ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ Anniversary Special is a Trip Down Memory Lane

    REVIEW: ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ Anniversary Special is a Trip Down Memory Lane

    There was a lot of fanfare surrounding the potential that was the 30th anniversary special Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always. Familiar faces returned to take on their iconic roles once again in a special that also aimed to pay tribute to the tragic passing of Thuy Trang. It felt like it would potentially be the tribute we always wanted for our iconic childhood pretending to be Power Rangers ourselves while watching the show. With the special finally out, does it live up to the nostalgia?

    It would be strange to say that it does and doesn’t really live up to what you might expect from this type of tribute. The thing is: as a modern take on the iconic Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series, it works incredibly well. It has that same goofy and over-the-top action from the original. Even from the opening, it just feels like you’re a kid again watching an episode that just happens to be quite a bit shinier and of higher quality.

    The costumes look just as goofy as they always do, but they don’t shy away at all from that era. Walter Emanuel Jones is back as Zack joined by David Yost as Billy Cranston, who are technically headlining the project. Steve Cardenas‘ Rocky and Catherine Sutherland’s Katherine also appear with franchise newcomer Charlie Kersh. Sadly, not everyone from the original line-up was around but the series tries to pay tribute to their characters; even if the use of Jason David Frank’s voice (may he rest in peace) for the Green Ranger was mired with controversy.

    The biggest surprise about this project is that it actually follows the franchise’s in-universe canon. Rita’s return actually makes sense given the events of the original Power Rangers in Space where Zordon unleashed the Z-wave to defeat all evil. There are a lot of callbacks to the various storylines and Rangers that existed even if they were just little toys in the background that never actually show up. This is definitely a part of the original franchise that still knows what has happened in the past 30 years.

    Yet, as much as I loved it as someone who grew up with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a lot of it just doesn’t hold up well. They tried to replicate the original series as much as possible, but that comes at the detriment of its overall quality. Outside of it being shot quite nicely beside a few jarring cuts, there’s just a lot lacking to make this feel like an evolution of the franchise rather than a time capsule. The acting across the board is very wooden and while you know it’s a labor of love, there’s a lack of really trying to give a performance.

    there’s also something with the audio that makes it a bit awkward at times. Charlie Kersch’s performance is quite over-the-top and is definitely performing a role fit for a Nickelodeon series. Barbara Goodson and Richard Steven Horvitz give very over-the-top performances but it works as if they are doing voice work for robotic characters. There’s just a combination of overacting and underacting creating this strange disconnect, especially with some ADR making some scenes a bit more awkward than they need to be.

    The same goes for the CG work in these series. It’s strange that they pay tribute with some wonderful costumes and environment work that pays tribute to the original series and its Sentai roots, but the VFX by the end ends up as what the Internet pretends Marvel CG looks like. Seeing the Zords was such a delight, as their introduction sequence paying tribute to the original actually looks incredible but once the Zord is fully formed it turns into a slightly better look from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie. Don’t get me started on the weird car.

    What does make up for it is the overall action, as not only does it pay tribute to the original in clever ways with shot composition but it’s the thing that feels the most fleshed out. The cheesy one-liners also add to the charm of what’s happening on screen. Even if the story just rushes through plot points that seemingly have no real connection (and sometimes feel a bit half-baked), there’s still a lot of fun to have as a Mighty Morphin fan.

    That’s kind of the struggle I have with this special. I love how it just goes out of its way to be a modern take on the original but it also feels like they could’ve done so much more. It’s special to celebrate the franchise’s 30th anniversary but it creates this feeling that it hasn’t really evolved after all this time. Having rewatched recent Nickelodeon entries, it sadly continues to feel that way and this may be a final hurrah before Netflix’s ambitious new Power Rangers take finds its way to the streaming service.

  • Amy Jo Johnson Opens Up On Not Joining ‘Power Rangers’ Netflix Reunion Special

    Amy Jo Johnson Opens Up On Not Joining ‘Power Rangers’ Netflix Reunion Special

    Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Now and Always is the perfect callback to a bygone era. With some returning faces, it’s great to see that our love and adoration for this series in our childhood has not gone away even after all this time. Yet, not all faces are set to return for the Netflix reunion special. Former Pink Ranger, Amy Jo Johnson, took to her Twitter to share why she and the recently passed away Jason David Frank may have decided not to join the production.

    She doesn’t really give a specific answer but the “wear spandex in my 50s” reaction may be quite genuine as she’s moved away from the character. She’s been quite busy with her directing career, such as being involved with one of the episodes of Superman and Lois’ second season. Though, she’s certainly happy for those that did return from the original era and she doesn’t rule out that she might have some involvement with the franchise’s 30th anniversary.

    https://twitter.com/_amyjojohnson/status/1640026992992038912

    There will be a pink ranger in the series, played by the second to hold the mantle, Catherine Sutherland. Austin St. John also couldn’t return due to facing criminal charges. The second Red Ranger, Steve Cardenas, is taking on the role in this special. They are joining David Yost and Walter Jones as the Blue and Black Rangers respectively. There is also a tribute to the late Thuy Trang, who played Trini, Yellow Ranger in the series and it’s uncertain if they also added a tribute to Jason David Frank after his tragic passing in late 2022.

    Source: Twitter

  • First Look at ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ 30th Anniversary Special

    First Look at ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ 30th Anniversary Special

    It’s crazy to think that the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers were released 30 years ago. The franchise has been a chlidhood memory many cherish. Recently, the franchise has seen a big boom in popularity once again, especially with the Boom! Studios comic series. They have revisited some familiar characters from the original franchise while also introducing a really interesting multiversal twist on what makes a Power Rangers storyline.

    Netflix has been hard at work on its own cinematic universe inspired by the original series, but it seems they also have something quite special in mind. As revealed on Twitter, Netflix will premiere a 30th-anniversary special on April 19th titled Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always. It’ll see the return of some of the show’s original stars including Barbara Goodson, who voiced Rita Repulsa, David Yost, Walter E. Jones, and who knows who else might appear.

    That is not all, as the official Power Rangers account, which shared its own unique anniversary logo, also offered a trailer teasing the new anniversary and some new footage they’ve filmed.

    Who knows if they have more planned for this year, and perhaps we’ll finally get some news on the Netflix series that’ll be showrun by Jenny Klein. Dino Fury even broke the two-season tradition for the anniversary, as it returns for an additional season before whatever the future has in store for the franchise. Here’s looking forward to what else might be on its way. Still, there’s also that feeling of sadness after the tragic passing of Jason David Frank, but his spirit lives on with the franchise.

    Source: Twitter

  • One Cancelation After Another: Netflix May Be Pushing Subscribers Away

    One Cancelation After Another: Netflix May Be Pushing Subscribers Away

    There’s something bizarre about the streaming age. We’ve hit a point where some aspects are being dialed back to make it more financially safe. Up until now, Netflix had free reign over the industry and could invest wherever they see fit. We commonly could always expect a second season for any project no matter how good or bad it was. They also became the home for many series that ended up getting canceled; some even hoped that their favorite show could get picked up to this day as Lucifer did some time ago.

    Yet, we’re not in that same era anymore. There’s so much competition out there with heavy hitters like Disney+, Hulu, Amazon, and HBO Max; the latter imploding in its own way. There are also various smaller offerings on the table trying to establish their own market with Peacock Paramount+, ESPN+, and many more. Even internationally some networks are establishing their very own streaming options to build their own markets. It’s slowly turning into a free-for-all that is making the investment quite a bit more difficult.

    So, the question becomes how Netflix can establish itself in that market. Would they innovate to offer something unique like their attempt to try interactive games in the platform? Would it be to invest in more unique IPs like a Power Rangers cinematic universe or other popular IP like Avatar: The Last Airbender or even One Piece? They are doing all that but it’s being overshadowed by one simple fact: most of their new shows don’t survive beyond a single season.

    We just got the news that 1899, a supernatural mystery series by the creators of Dark, has been canceled after one season. While some smaller releases simply don’t pull in an audience like Blockbuster and are more flexible with their format, it’s bizarre to see a high-investment like 1899 not even being given a longer run to truly bank on its entire mystery concept. The show was pitched with multiple seasons in mind and it pulled in an audience going by its performance on the streaming service. Yet, there’s no clear reason given on why the series was passed on.

    Netflix seemingly wants to recreate the virality they’ve seen with select projects. To some degree, their strategy seems to be to throw out as many shows to ensure that one or the other manages to pull in some massive viewership numbers. Wednesday was a huge success, even managing to compete with Stranger Things. Yet, it’s an external production and may even end up on a new platform if they don’t invest enough money; adding more pressure to the series to keep up its high viewership with future seasons.

    There is the other issue that Netflix doesn’t own all rights to their projects. There’s a reason that the various Marvel series left the streaming service with them having a prominent placement on Disney+. Wednesday even currently sits in an uncertain spot as MGM is now owned by Amazon and they could end up losing the rights to what would’ve been their next major hit franchise. Even The Sandman was on shaky ground due to it being a DC project and requiring Warner Bros. Discovery’s approval to move forward.

    So, Netflix is slowly losing the projects that would make it stand out while nuking anything that would have a chance to grow throughout multiple seasons. But that’s not all, as viewers are slowly losing interest in whatever they are offering if this trend continues. Why even invest any time into watching their newest series if the chances of a show surviving are so slim? There’s also the fear that shows one is invested in like the live-action One Piece or Avatar: The Last Airbender if their chances to survive are so minimal.

    Netflix opened up for transparency in how shows perform, but their actions don’t seem to fully reflect what they are looking for in how a series performs. Unlike Disney, they are far more dependent on the success of their series as they don’t fully invest in the merchandise until after it was proven successful; see how long it took before Squid Game or Stranger Things offerings found their way out into the market. Their wait-and-see approach goes against their high-investment gamble, as it creates a bizarre mixture of risk-averse actions with money being thrown out left and right.

    Some franchises are given quite a bit of time such as One Piece being in some form of production since 2017. A Power Rangers cinematic universe is being developed for quite some time now as well, which would indicate they are in for the long haul. Yet, their recent actions don’t seem to truly match some of their investment choices. It creates this feeling of a lack of commitment to these projects they invest in, which reflects upon the viewers as well.

    We also can’t forget Netflix’s desperate attempt to keep users from password sharing, which they hope would lead to an increase in subscribers. Yet, it doesn’t truly ensure any churn for the streamer, and may likely lead to some not wanting to return. It’s been ingrained into our culture by this point that it would push away subscribers without any true benefit for them to sign-up. At this rate, Netflix is becoming its own worst enemy and may push people away, as enough alternatives are on the market.

  • ‘Power Rangers’ 30th Season Will Be a Third ‘Dino Fury’ Season

    ‘Power Rangers’ 30th Season Will Be a Third ‘Dino Fury’ Season

    There are quite a few franchises that manage to stay relevant decades later. This year alone, many iconic franchises from across the world are celebrating their anniversaries, be it Persona, Final Fantasy, One Piece, and more. Yet, there’s one other big franchise that is getting ready for a massive shake-up as it hits its next milestone. Power Rangers is about to enter its 30th season soon and while the Netflix series is still in development, Hasbro has not forgotten the franchise that put it on the map. As such, they have revealed that the 30th season is in development and they are mixing things up.

    Unlike previous entries, the Power Rangers teams would get replaced after two seasons. Now, they have decided to keep the Dino Fury team together as they’ll return for a third season, which is now titled Power Rangers: Cosmic Fury. It marks the first time a team has remained for more than two seasons since Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Simon Bennett is also set to return as executive producer.

    It’s definitely great to see them give the team another go and who knows if it’ll end with a third season if they are following the original trajectory of the Mighty Morphin era. Perhaps this season acts as a tribute to the many storylines that came before, especially if they are including the wording “cosmic” in the name, perhaps we’ll get some Power Rangers In Space callbacks throughout or any other cosmic. Whatever they may include, it’s going to be exciting to see how it comes together.

    Source: Twitter

  • Jonathan Entwistle Teases “Familiar Faces” in Netflix’s New ‘Power Rangers’ Cinematic Universe

    Jonathan Entwistle Teases “Familiar Faces” in Netflix’s New ‘Power Rangers’ Cinematic Universe

    It’s been some time since it was announced that Jonathan Entwistle was announced as the head behind a new cinematic universe for the Power Rangers franchise. Ever since we’ve heard very little bout the project. Well, that was until now as we finally got an update that Jenny Klein will showrun a Power Rangers series. There are no details on how this project will effectively work or if it may be the central franchise-building others, but it finally moving forward offers an exciting prospect that we might get more details on it sooner rather than later.

    Entwistle was just as excited about the news, as he took to his personal Twitter account to share the news as well as tease that it’s a big part of this new cinematic universe. He also went on to confirm that they are establishing a new universe (a curious wording given the multiversal status of the Boom! Comics adaptations). What stands out, however, is that he also teases some “familiar faces” joining.

    https://twitter.com/jonaent/status/1536860133753401345

    Not too long ago, we heard from former Pink Ranger Amy Jo Johnson that they haven’t been involved in some capacity with the project. Of course, things may have changed and they were still busy mapping out the concept before getting the original crew involved. There’s also the 30th anniversary just around the corner, which could be the perfect timing to kick off this new universe and how it may connect to the rest. So, here’s hoping we’ll get more insight soon.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘The Thing about Pam’s Jenny Klein to Showrun New ‘Power Rangers’ Series for Netflix

    ‘The Thing about Pam’s Jenny Klein to Showrun New ‘Power Rangers’ Series for Netflix

    It looks like eOne’s Power Rangers reboot over at Netflix is finally picking up some speed. For quite some time now, we’ve learned that Jonathan Entwistle has been supervising a Power Rangers universe, but we never got any concrete information on where the project may or may not be heading. Now that all changed, as they’ve added their first member to the team. The Thing About Pam‘s Jenny Klein has inked a deal with Entertainment One and will act as showrunner on the Power Rangers series heading to Netflix, where she’ll work with Entwistle on the series. eOne’s EVP, Gabe Marano, shared the following statement:

    Building this partnership with Jenny, whose talent and passion transcends genres, is an exciting moment for us. We believe that her distinctive vision makes her the perfect fit to help us develop Hasbro’s deep library of IP, as well as original projects, and we’re thrilled to have her on board.

    Gabe Marano

    There are still no details on what exactly the upcoming new take on the franchise will offer. Power Rangers is still currently airing with the Dino Fury series, which marks the 29th season since Mighty Morphin Power Rangers aired. There is likely still going to be a continuation as with Klein only joining now, they might not start production on a new series until 2023. Still, it’s exciting to finally get an update and it does seem like they are picking up the pace for the new Netflix universe based on the iconic series.

    Source: Deadline

  • Original ‘Power Rangers’ Cast Not Involved With Upcoming Netflix Reboot

    Original ‘Power Rangers’ Cast Not Involved With Upcoming Netflix Reboot

    We’ve heard very little about the upcoming Power Rangers series that is currently in development for Netflix. Jonathan Entwistle was hired to create not only a new film but also various TV series that would establish a Power Rangers Cinematic Universe for the streamer. We’ve heard very little about it since, or even any timings for when we can expect its release, but a recent tweet may have hinted that the new adaptation won’t include the original cast.

    Amy Jo Johnson, who played the original Pink Ranger when Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was released in 1993, took to tWitter to complain that a new “Power Ranger universe” wasn’t including the original actors. In a way, it implies that none of the original actors from the series that started it all have been contacted to consult on the project.

    It’s strange they wouldn’t consult them at all, especially Jason David Frank who has stuck with the franchise for quite some time now. Yet, there’s also the possibility they are trying to go in fresh as this might be a more adult take on what’s come before. It seemed like they may be adapting the Shattered Grid storyline, which re-popularized Power Rangers in the modern consciousness but that multiverse storyline would benefit from the original actors’ involvement.

    Her tweeting it is certainly strange, and we’ll see if more comes out of this, but for now, we can only speculate. Amy Jo Johnson has been busy as of late, as she made a name for herself as a director, most notably directing an episode of Superman and Lois. So, it would be a shame if she didn’t get a chance to direct an episode of the new Power Rangers franchise and leave her stamp on the new generation.

    Source: Twitter

  • Netflix Mapping Out Multiple Films and TV Series for a ‘Power Rangers’ Cinematic Universe

    Netflix Mapping Out Multiple Films and TV Series for a ‘Power Rangers’ Cinematic Universe

    Netflix has been quite busy with its various ventures on expanding its available intellectual properties. After releasing their first of many live-action anime adaptations with Cowboy Bebop, the streaming giant is already setting its eyes on another popular franchise. In a new report by Deadline, they’ve shared that Jonathan Entwistle is still working on a Power Rangers Cinematic Universe for the streamer. They currently are working on not one but multiple series and movies that’ll interweave the iconic franchise.

    Sadly, they are still shy about going into detail about how far along they are, as we first heard about Entwistle‘s involvement back in October 2020. While many cinematic universes have failed in the past, most notable Universal’s attempt at a modern Dark Universe, Power Rangers has been an interconnected series since the Mighty Morphin days. So, it’s quite a perfect choice for the concept. The recent boom in popularity with the aptly named Boom comics has also utilized a multiversal storyline for the Shattered Grid storyline. So, they might be building towards that event by having multiple teams exist throughout different dimensions.

    Bryan Edward is currently busy writing the script for one of the films. It may be the project to kick off the other projects and spin-out into multiple series. Some time ago, we learned that the story was going to explore time travel, which perfectly leads to the introduction of multiple Power Ranger teams and even foreshadows a major threat. It was smart of Netflix to enlist Entwistle as showrunner for all projects, as he’ll have a similar role to Kevin Feige for Marvel Studios. Here’s hoping we don’t have to wait much longer for san actual production update.

    Source: Deadline