Fans of the 1990s hit television show “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” are in luck. The franchise is celebrating 30 years with a new streaming special that will see many of the old cast members reunite.
What Happened: Launched by Saban Brands in 1993, the Power Rangers brand had seen more than 20 different versions of the franchise across 29 years of content. The Power Rangers brand is now owned by Hasbro Inc HAS, one of the largest toy companies in the world.
“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once And Always” is a new scripted special that will celebrate the legacy of the franchise and bring back several original cast members. The special will air on Netflix Inc NFLX on April 19.
Among the cast involved in the project are David Yost and Walter Jones, who played the Blue Ranger and Black Ranger in the original “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” series.
“It’s been 28 years since I’ve been back on the set of Power Ranger,” Jones said in a trailer for the upcoming special.
Other actors featured in the special will be Catherine Sutherland (second Pink Ranger), Steve Cardenas (second Red Ranger), Karan Ashley (second Yellow Ranger) and Johnny Yong Bosch (second Black Ranger).
The special will also feature Barbara Goodson, the original voice of Rita Repulsa and Richard Horvitz, the original voice of Alpha 5.
“Our Ranger family runs deep,” Jones told Entertainment Weekly of getting to play the Black Ranger again.
Sutherland said the special will have many Easter eggs and she hopes it will give fans everything they want.
Yost spent four seasons on “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” and with over 200 episodes was the longest-running original Power Ranger.
“It was such a surreal experience to be on the set of Power Rangers again after 28 years,” Yost said.
It has not been announced if the special will pay tribute to original Green Ranger actor Jason David Frank, who died in 2022 at the age of 49.
Original Yellow Ranger actress Thuy Trang passed away in 2001. Charlie Kersh will play Minh in the special, the daughter of the original Yellow Ranger Trini.
Not announced for the special are original Red Ranger actor Austin St. John, who is facing legal trouble, or original Pink Ranger actress Amy Jo Johnston.
Johnston said she would not be involved in the special.
“For the record, I never said no … I just didn’t say yes to what was offered,” Johnston tweeted.
Johnston played the Pink Ranger for 137 episodes before leaving in season 2 of the original series.
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Why It’s Important: Hasbro acquired the Power Rangers franchise for $500 million in 2018 after taking over the master toy license for the brand.
Prior to Hasbro, Bandai held the master toy license.
With Hasbro having ownership, the company is looking to expand and evolve the franchise through a new series, specials and toys of the popular franchise.
Netflix has served as a partner on recent series and will be the home of the next franchise.
“Power Rangers: Cosmic Fury” will launch on Netflix in the fall of 2023 and include the cast and continue the story of “Power Rangers: Dino Fury,” which first aired on Nickelodeon in 2021. Netflix was the home of the second season of “Dino Fury,” marking the first time a streaming platform was the home of the franchise’s newest season.
“Cosmic Fury” will also mark the first time in franchise history that the entire Power Rangers team returns for a third season.
The new special could have nostalgic fans returning to watch and see former rangers in action. This could lead to a surge in viewership for previous Power Rangers series and generate interest in the newest series on Netflix.
Hasbro could also launch several new toy lines and products around the special’s release date to capitalize on what will likely be a strong buzz around people of different age groups.
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Photo: Kobby Dagan via Shutterstock
Image and article originally from www.benzinga.com. Read the original article here.