‘Power Rangers’ Live-Action Series Not Moving Forward At Disney+
Disney+ has decided not to proceed with its planned live-action Power Rangers series, ending the project during development. The decision appears to be driven mainly by business and budget considerations rather than creative concerns, highlighting the difficulty of financing expensive superhero-style programmes based on intellectual property the platform does not own.
The series had been in development for around 18 months at Disney+ and 20th Television, with Percy Jackson and the Olympians showrunners Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz attached as writers and executive producers. Power Rangers is owned by Hasbro, which has previously explored a live-action television adaptation with Netflix; Steinberg and Shotz remain occupied with Percy Jackson’s third season, due to premiere on 20 November.
- Disney+ has halted its live-action Power Rangers series.
- Budget and ownership economics reportedly drove the decision.
- Hasbro still owns the Power Rangers brand.
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Power Rangers is a long-running action franchise in which young heroes transform into colour-coded fighters to protect the world from monsters and villains. It began as a television series in the 1990s, adapted from Japan’s Super Sentai programmes, and has since included many new casts, films, toys and games.
The franchise is owned by the toy and entertainment company Hasbro, rather than Disney. Disney previously owned and produced some Power Rangers television series in the 2000s, but sold the brand in 2010 before Hasbro bought it in 2018.
Streaming services often develop well-known brands because they can attract established audiences, but such productions can be costly. When a platform does not own the underlying franchise, it may have to share control or revenue, affecting decisions about whether to make a series.