The Best Thing About Power Rangers’ 2017 Movie Makes The Reboot’s Failure Even Worse

Power Rangers (2017) was a box office disappointment and never got a sequel, which is unfortunate considering one great thing the movie featured. Ten years after Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, the franchise returned to the big screen with 2017’s Power Rangers. Rather than an extension of the TV show like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995) or a canon story like Turbo, Power Rangers (2017) was a reboot that reimagined the original series as a modern story. Therefore, characters like Jason, Kimberly, Zordon, and Rita Repulsa were recast and given new backstories.

For example, instead of an intergalactic witch, Rita Repulsa was now the former Green Ranger who once betrayed her team and killed all of them but the Red Ranger, Zordon. The Power Rangers characters first met each other during detention – one of many callbacks to The Breakfast Club – and Alpha-5 was an alien creature rather than a robot. These are just some of the differences between the most recent Power Rangers movie and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the former of which could never live up to the potential of its cast.

Power Rangers (2017)’s Cast Was Incredibly Promising

It is easy to assume that the best thing about a Power Rangers movie reboot would be the visual effects and the scale that comes with the budget of a Hollywood blockbuster. However, even though seeing the Dino Zords and the Megazord on the big screen was great, the most interesting thing about 2017’s Power Rangers was its cast. This was the first time the saga recast the Mighty Morphin characters, and while it was for a different Power Rangers chronology, playing such iconic characters is no easy feat.

In addition to established names like Bryan Cranston as Zordon, Elizabeth Banks as Rita, and Bill Hader as Alpha-5, the Power Rangers reboot featured five promising young actors as the main heroes. As fun and impactful as the original show was, it never really explored its characters on a significant level – the Power Rangers were action heroes first and foremost. The 2017 reboot went for a different approach, allowing each of the five Ranger actors to show a nuanced, vulnerable side of their characters. Unfortunately, they never got to reprise their roles as Jason, Zack, Trini, Billy, and Kimberly.

What The Power Rangers Cast Has Done Since 2017

The successful careers the Power Rangers cast would go on to build after the movie shows how much potential the Mighty Morphin reboot had. Power Rangers 2 would have had the advantage of starring a now much more popular set of actors, not to mention how major new characters like Tommy Oliver would have joined the story. A sequel to Power Rangers never happened, but fortunately, each of the five main actors continues to be part of great projects in film, television, and music.

Red Ranger actor Dacre Montgomery joined the Stranger Things cast in the same year Power Rangers was released and continued to appear on the show for multiple seasons. Montgomery has also been in movies such as The Broken Hearts Gallery and Elvis. RJ Cyler, who played the Blue Ranger, has been in films such as Sierra Burgess Is a Loser and The Harder They Fall, and recently starred in The Book of Clarence. Pink Ranger actress Naomi Scott would star in Disney’s billion-dollar hit Aladdin in 2019, followed by a lead role in the Charlie’s Angels reboot.

Yellow Ranger actress Becky G, who was already a prominent musician when Power Rangers was released, consolidated her music career and has released three albums since 2017 – Mala Santa, Esquemas, and Esquinas. Becky G has also many successful singles and received multiple awards, including but not limited to Favorite Female Latin Artist at the AMAs two years in a row. Ludi Lin, who played the Black Ranger, would go to star as Liu Kang in 2021’s Mortal Kombat reboot, a role he is reprising in the upcoming Mortal Kombat 2. Lin was also in 2018’s Aquaman.

Will Power Rangers (2017) Ever Get A Sequel With The Same Cast?

Considering that almost seven years have passed, it is safe to say a sequel to Power Rangers (2017) will not happen. Following the disappointing box office results of the film – $142.3 million worldwide on a $100 million budget – the Power Rangers franchise continued to focus on the television side of things. While a new Power Rangers movie project with a different creative team was reportedly in the works a few years ago, it seemingly never came to fruition. Since then, Power Rangers seems to be more focused on streaming.

Related

What Is The Next Power Rangers Season After Cosmic Fury?

What the next Power Rangers series will be after Cosmic Fury might be the biggest question raised by Power Rangers Cosmic Fury’s ending episode.

Dino Fury and Cosmic Fury were the first two Power Rangers seasons to be released worldwide exclusively on a streaming platform, Netflix. A young adult, scripted Power Rangers series from Jonathan Entwistle was confirmed to be in the works, but there have yet to be more updates on the project. Regardless, a Power Rangers TV reboot seems to be the next major step for the franchise, which is exciting considering Cosmic Fury already wrapped up the current continuity. Whether this will be a Mighty Morphin reboot like the 2017 movie or something about new characters remains to be seen.

Power Rangers

Created by

Haim Saban , Shuki Levy

First TV Show

Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers

Video Game(s)

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Mega Battle