Power Rangers Movie Sequel Is Reportedly In Development

When the big screen reboot of the classic TV show Power Rangers was released last year, hopes were high for potential sequels. Unfortunately, the movie was a commercial failure, creating uncertainly about the future of the property. However, it has now been reported that another Power Rangers film is in early development.

The news comes via an interview with Brian Goldner, the CEO of Power Rangers rights holders Hasbro, by trade site Inside Licensing. Much of the interview focuses upon Hasbro's plans for its toyline, but the site also states that the company "will work with a film studio to develop a new Power Rangers movie as a follow-up to the 2017 release."

Power Rangers hits theaters in March 2017 and was directed by Dean Israelite. The confidence of producers Lionsgate in its potential success led to ambitious plans for "five or six or seven" movies in the series. However, the movie only made a disappointing $142.2 million worldwide. In addition, the movie was a flop in China, which is an increasingly important market for big budget Hollywood action and sci-fi movies.

Hasbro acquired the rights to Power Rangers from Saban Brands in May, and it joins Transformers, GI Joe, My Little Pony, and Battleship. It is unknown what Hasbro plans for these properties on the big screen. However, it was reported in February that a restructuring of its Transformers deal with Paramount would allow the toy company to greenlight future movies in that series. The Transformers spin-off Bumblebee arrives in December, but beyond that, there are no movies in the franchise scheduled for release.

The Power Rangers first appeared on screens in 1993's Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. The show mixed new American scenes with footage taken from the Japanese show Super Sentai. To date, there has been numerous TV series, two earlier movies, plus a number of video games.