Lionsgate and Saban are developing a new Power Rangers movie

Super Sentai had already been "a thing" not only in Japan, but also in the Philippines since the 70's and 80's (what with Star Rangers, Mask Rider Black, and Bioman), but it wasn't till America and Australia took notice of it and introduced the Western world to The Power Rangers in the early 90's. It was then when it had become this children's show phenomenon in the 90's. Now, Saban Entertainment is joining forces with Lionsgate films to make a new live-action Power Rangers movie. [hit the jump to continue]

The announcement was made by creator of Power Rangers Haim Saban and Lionsgate Chief Executive Officer Jon Feltheimer.  This marks another step in Lionsgate’s continued commitment to build a broad portfolio of branded properties and franchises with global appeal.

Saban launched Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as a live action television series more than 20 years ago, and the series has been in continuous production ever since.  It has subsequently grown into one of the world’s most popular and recognizable brands, with toys, apparel, costumes, video games, DVD’s, comic books and other merchandise.

The two companies noted that, with an extensive and extremely devoted worldwide fan base as well as a deep and detailed mythology, the Power Rangers are primed for the big screen.  The new film franchise will re-envision the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a group of high school kids who are infused with unique and cool super powers but must harness and use those powers as a team if they have any hope of saving the world.

“Lionsgate is the perfect home for elevating our Power Rangers brand to the next level,” said Saban.  “They have the vision, marketing prowess and incredible track record in launching breakthrough hits from The Hunger Games to Twilight and Divergent.  In partnership with the Lionsgate team, we’re confident that we will capture the world of the Power Rangers and translate it into a unique and memorable motion picture phenomenon with a legacy all its own.”

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with Haim Saban and his team to maximize the potential of this immensely successful and universally recognized franchise,” said Feltheimer.  “The Power Rangers stories and characters have been embraced by generations of audiences for more than 20 years, and today they are more powerful than ever.  We have the ideal partner and the perfect brand with which to create a motion picture event that will resonate with moviegoers around the world for years to come.”

OUR OPINIONS...
What Saban did back then with the old/original Power Rangers was that they actually dubbed the action sequences from the 1992 Japanese Super Sentai Show "Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger" and filmed new footage with American actors for the story sequences. This trend has continued, with each successive Super Sentai show contributing the action sequences to the Power Rangers series the following year. There had been two Power Rangers movies; one was Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie in 1995, and Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie in 1997. Both did not do so well at the box office, probably because these movies were the exactly the same kind of kiddie schlock that you could already get for free on TV.

This time though, I am assuming that the original kiddie fans of this show from the 90's have now grown up and have that urge to jump on nostalgia for this type of schlock.