“Power Rangers” Star On Lack Of Sequels
Lionsgate’s “Power Rangers,” a $100 million-budgeted film adaptation of the classic 1990s TV series, opened domestically with over $40 million. A strong start.
That figure sadly proved front-loaded, with the film ultimately closing out with just $85 million in North America and $57 million overseas for a $142 million total. The movie, which received mixed reviews, ultimately lost the studio an estimated $74 million.
Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, RJ Cyler, Becky G, and Ludi Lin led the cast alongside veterans like Bill Hader, Bryan Cranston, and Elizabeth Banks. Montgomery, best known for his “Stranger Things” work at the time, played Jason/Red Ranger in the film.
Out promoting this week’s “Faces of Death” remake, the Australian actor spoke with MovieWeb and confirmed he and his other cast members each signed four-picture deals for “Power Rangers” – the expectation being for up to three sequels:
“It was my first job. It was literally the most formative period of my life. Like after wanting to be an actor for 10 years and not getting hired, and then getting that film, and yeah, it was a four-picture deal with Lionsgate. Similar sort of structure to what they did with Hunger Games. The same studio at the same time.
Had a lot of ambitions. It had a lot of creative expansion of the franchise, of the IP. I had the best time with those cast. You know we’ve spoken about it before. They’re all amazing, including RJ. It was going to be a whole big thing, but what can you do, right? We’re talking about money, and big business, and it didn’t recoup or make enough on the investment that the studio had made to continue making more.
I hear they’re rebooting it again. I think Saban might have sold the IP off. I’m excited for the future of that. Power Rangers means a great deal to a lot of people. Whoever steps into those shoes, I know that they’ll be great, and I had the best time.”
In 2020, Jonathan Entwistle (“Karate Kid: Legends”) and Jenny Klein (“Daisy Jones & The Six”) were slated to showrun a TV series reboot at Netflix, one that was scrapped in development in 2024
More recently, “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” duo Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz are said to be handling a TV series version for the Disney+ service.