#movie:mighty-morphin-power-rangers-the-movie

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'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' Reboot: Can It Dodge the 'MMPR' Curse?

"Go Go Power Rangers!"

More than two decades after its debut on television, “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” lives again, this time via a live-action cinematic reboot with franchise aspirations.

Details are scant about the revamped Power Rangers. Today’s announcement by Lionsgate and “MMPR” producer Haim Saban didn’t have a timetable for the movie remake, a director, writer, or cast. About all we know, per the press release, is “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.”

Presumably, the new film will also reboot lagging merchandise sales, too.

You might be surprised it took Lionsgate and producer Haim Saban this long to get with the program, considering Hollywood’s feeding frenzy over reinveting old properties. But the Power Rangers don’t have a proven track record on the big screen. Their first cinematic go-round, 1995’s “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie,” was hardly a blockbuster with $66 million worldwide; while the 1997 follow-up, “Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie,” was a brightly colored bomb, grossing just $9.6 million worldwide.

David Yost, arguably the most prolific Power Ranger as Billy Cranston (the Blue Ranger), told Yahoo Movies during a phone call on Wednesday that he’s excited Saban went with the “Hunger Games” studio. “They obviously have a proven track record. And I will be very excited to see what they do with the franchise.”

Producers no doubt hope fans remember the TV incarnations more fondly.

The franchise-launching original, “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” followed its sextet of young heroes, who had the ability to “morph” into costumed (and color-coordinated) warriors, as they battled a series of alien baddies. Utilizing stock footage from the Japanese television show “Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger” (1992-93), the series almost immediately became a worldwide sensation (and spawned an extremely lucrative merchandising line), and is today considered a prominent piece of ’90s pop culture.

The original series ran for 145 episodes over the course of three seasons on Fox Kids from Aug. 28, 1993 to Nov. 27, 1995. There was a 10-episode spinoff miniseries, “Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers” (1996), and several rebranded continuation series, including “Power Rangers Zeo” (the fourth season, which ran for 50 episodes in 1996); “Power Rangers Turbo” (the fifth season, which ran for 45 episodes in 1997); “Power Rangers in Space” (the sixth season, which ran for 43 episodes in 1998); and many, many more.

[‘Spider-Man 2’ vs. ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’: What Raimi Got Right That Webb Got Wrong]

But aside from is myriad TV iterations and discount toys, “MMPR” has also become notorious for the "Power Rangers Curse," which has seen several of those associated with the shows suffer sad fates off screen. Among them:

—Skylar Deleon, the actor who played Roger in the original series episode, “Second Chance” (1994), was charged with the 2004 murders of Long beach residents Tom and Jackie Hawks. He was convicted and sentenced to death in April 2009.

—Eric Frank, the brother of series regular Jason David Frank (who played Tommy Oliver, the original Green Ranger, the original White Ranger and the White Ninja Ranger) and who had a guest star appearance as David Trueheart in “Power Rangers Zeo,” died of a heart illness at the age of 29 in April 2001.

—Richard Genelle, the actor who played Ernie, the owner of the Youth Center and occasional advisor to the Power Rangers, from the original series through “Power Rangers: Turbo,” left the show to concentrate on losing weight and quitting smoking. He died of a heart attack at the age of 47 in 2008.

—Bob Manahan, the actor who voiced Zordon, the Power Rangers’ mentor, died of a heart attack at the age of 44 in June 2000.

—Thuy Thang, the actress who played the Trini Kwan (the Yellow Ranger) in the first two seasons of the original series, died in a car crash at the age of 27 in Sept. 2001.

[‘Jurassic Park’ Five Film Facts: Are Those Raptors or Guys in Monster Suits?]

“I’ve never heard there’s a curse,” Yost told Yahoo. “But obviously anyone who’s stepping into the role of a Power Ranger — I just hope that they realize how exciting that is and the impact they will have on many people’s lives throughout the world and do their best to portray a good superhero.”

The original series also ended up conjuring some bad vibes when Thang, Austin St. John (the original Red Ranger) and Walter Emanuel Jones (the original Black Ranger) just up and left the show after the second season over a pay dispute. This broke the hearts of many fans… and was regarded by more than a few as an absurd situation, with Michael McCollor at Smosh pointing out that a job “literally consisting of pouring smoothies on Bulk and Skull and pretending to talk to a giant head in a tube” deserved to be paid in simply “donuts and Olive Garden gift certificates.”

Theater people know you don’t say “Macbeth” in a theater, ‘cause it’s all sorts of bad luck. As Shakespeare’s tragedy is often referred to as “The Scottish Play,” maybe the producers of the new “MMPR” feature should find a way to make the cast and crew never utter the actual title of the movie they’re making. “The Skittles Players,” anyone?

Marisa Okano contributed to this report.

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The Curse Of The Power Rangers Cast

The studio behind ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘Divergent’ will be raiding different source material for their next teen movie franchise - the ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ are getting a second cinematic makeover (the first was in 1995) courtesy of Lionsgate. The Power Rangers first sprang into action on TV in 1993, but it’s unlikely any of the original cast members will be returning for the new movie. Whatever happened to the kids inside the suits? It’s almost like they were doomed from the moment they stepped into the spandex…

Pink Ranger aka Kimberly Ann Hart – Amy Jo Johnson

They obviously let you keep the suits after you play a Power Ranger. Amy Jo Johnson, now 44, slung her pink outfit back on for a busking session in Toronto. It was all following a dare by fellow Ranger David Yost (Blue) to do so if she hit the target for her new movie on crowd-funding site Indiegogo early. And she did! So off she went, filming the session for posterity.

The movie, a comedy drama called 'The Space Between', which Johnson has written and will direct, reached its funding target of $75,000 and more, with over 1000 people pitching in. Amy Jo has enjoyed the most high profile career of the ‘Power Rangers’ with a role in JJ Abrams’ TV show ‘Felicity’, plus a recurring role in Canadian police procedural ‘Flashpoint’. It gets worse...

Red Ranger aka Jason Lee Scott – Austin St John

The de facto leader of the Power Rangers in the first season, martial arts expert Austin St John (real name Jason Geiger) was square-jawed, heroic and athletic – but that wasn’t enough for the show’s creators. It’s thought producers were keen to keep the show’s cast flexible, like a televisual version of ever-changing Puerto Rican pop-band Menudo, but that didn’t sit well with the existing actors. It might have been a scare tactic, but St John left the Power Rangers halfway through the second season, the official reason being a “contract and pay dispute”. He was replaced as Red Ranger by Steve Cardenas, who also played the Red Ranger in ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie’. St John slipped into obscurity, and apart from the odd convention appearance, he now works as a firefighter.

Blue Ranger aka Billy Cranston – David Yost

David Yost played boffin Billy Cranston – his last name cribbed from actor Bryan Cranston, who provided voices for the show’s monsters – for four years, but all was not well off-screen. Yost revealed in a 2010 interview that he suffered at the hands of bullying from the show’s production crew over his sexual orientation, who he claims told him he “could not be a superhero” because he was homosexual. Yost quit and tried to ‘pray the gay away’ with conversion therapy for two years before having a nervous breakdown which required five weeks of psychiatric care. He has since held a range of assorted jobs in the entertainment industry.

Yellow Ranger aka Trini Kwan – Thuy Trang

Questionable colour schemes aside – they made the Asian girl the Yellow Ranger, really? – Thuy Trang never got a chance to shake off her Power Rangers persona, as she was sadly killed in a car accident in September 2001. She left the show in season two along with Austin St John and though she had roles in the likes of ‘The Crow: City Of Angels’ and ‘Spy Hard’ (incorrectly credited as a ‘masseuse’ instead of a ‘manicurist’), Trang found acting work hard to come by. Tragically, the actress was killed in California in 2001 when the car she was a passenger in lost control, hit a roadside rock-face and fell over a safety barrier. She died from her injuries on the way to the hospital. Trang’s ‘Power Rangers’ co-stars attended her funeral to pay their respects.

Black Ranger aka Zack Taylor – Walter Emanuel Jones

Jones also fell foul of contract negotiations and exited ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ mid-way through the second season due to disagreements over wages. He was replaced as the Black Ranger by Johnny Yong Bosch, but Jones did actually return to the ‘Power Rangers’ universe, albeit suffering the indignity of providing monster voices for a show he used to star in.

Read more: What Happened To The Babe from ‘Labyrinth’?

The actor did have a few other movie roles, including wrestling movie ‘Backyard Dogs’, which was the lowest-rated movie on IMDb for several years. Since ‘Power Rangers’, he played a zombie in ‘House Of The Dead 2’ and featured in a PetSmart commercial. How the mighty (morphin) have fallen.

Green Ranger aka Tommy Oliver – Jason David Frank

Baddie-turned-goodie Tommy eventually fulfilled his character arc and became the leader of the Power Rangers when he shed his Green persona and suited up as the White Ranger. Off screen, however, Jason David Frank’s career took an unexpected turn. He left the show in 1997 (returning for a tenth anniversary special) and left acting behind to focus on his career as a hardcore Christian MMA fighter. Seriously. He even set up a clothing line called ‘Jesus Didn’t Tap’. Frank has left the entertainment industry behind but still hopes to resurrect the Green Ranger with a possible feature film, sparked by an apparent conversation he had with Stan Lee at a convention. (We haven’t the heart to tell him Stan Lee probably says that to everyone). He is, however, a world record holder, for most pines broken in freefall. Which sounds a bit like falling out of a tree.

Zordon – Robert L. Manahan

The actor who provided the voice of ethereal ‘Power Rangers’ mentor Zordon wasn’t immune to the curse – he died of an aneurysm aged just 44 years old. He appeared in a whopping 75 episodes of ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ and assorted movies, booming advice from his time warp prism. A respected sound editor, Manahan’s final credit was unfortunately ‘Power Rangers In Space’, which probably didn’t make it into his eulogy.

Bulk & Skull – Paul Schrier and Jason Narvy

This might be the saddest thing we’ve ever read. Paul Schrier, who played bully Bulk, was the last original cast member to leave the show and still attends ‘Power Rangers’ conventions as you’d expect. His co-star, Jason Narvy, is another matter. Acting student Narvy received a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Masters degree and studied with the American Shakespeare Centre, where he played the title roles in ‘Henry V’ and ‘Hamlet’ among other works. He also studied at the Lee Strasberg institute (fellow attendee: Marlon Brando), is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and holds a PhD in Theater Studies from the University of California. Despite all this, he’s still best known for playing ‘Power Rangers’ bully Eugene “Skull” Skullovitch. Weep for him.

Read more on Yahoo Movies:

Movie Studio Logos: What Do They Mean? Rik Mayall’s Harry Potter Role That No-One Ever Saw 22 Disney And Pixar In-jokes That Will Blow Your Mind How Long Was Bill Murray Stuck In Groundhog Day? The Most Pointless Uses Of CGI Effects In Movie History

Photos: Rex

[memeriah-blog]

'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' Reboot: Can It Dodge the 'MMPR' Curse?

"Go Go Power Rangers!"

More than two decades after its debut on television, "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" lives again, this time via a live-action cinematic reboot with franchise aspirations.

Details are scant about the revamped Power Rangers. Today's announcement by Lionsgate and "MMPR" producer Haim Saban didn't have a timetable for the movie remake, a director, writer, or cast. About all we know, per the press release, is "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."

Presumably, the new film will also reboot lagging merchandise sales, too.

You might be surprised it took Lionsgate and producer Haim Saban this long to get with the program, considering Hollywood's feeding frenzy over reinveting old properties. But the Power Rangers don't have a proven track record on the big screen. Their first cinematic go-round, 1995's "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie," was hardly a blockbuster with $66 million worldwide; while the 1997 follow-up, "Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie," was a brightly colored bomb, grossing just $9.6 million worldwide.

David Yost, arguably the most prolific Power Ranger as Billy Cranston (the Blue Ranger), told Yahoo Movies during a phone call on Wednesday that he’s excited Saban went with the “Hunger Games” studio. "They obviously have a proven track record. And I will be very excited to see what they do with the franchise."

Producers no doubt hope fans remember the TV incarnations more fondly.

The franchise-launching original, "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," followed its sextet of young heroes, who had the ability to "morph" into costumed (and color-coordinated) warriors, as they battled a series of alien baddies. Utilizing stock footage from the Japanese television show "Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger" (1992-93), the series almost immediately became a worldwide sensation (and spawned an extremely lucrative merchandising line), and is today considered a prominent piece of '90s pop culture.

The original series ran for 145 episodes over the course of three seasons on Fox Kids from Aug. 28, 1993 to Nov. 27, 1995. There was a 10-episode spinoff miniseries, "Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers" (1996), and several rebranded continuation series, including "Power Rangers Zeo" (the fourth season, which ran for 50 episodes in 1996); "Power Rangers Turbo" (the fifth season, which ran for 45 episodes in 1997); "Power Rangers in Space" (the sixth season, which ran for 43 episodes in 1998); and many, many more.

['Spider-Man 2' vs. 'Amazing Spider-Man 2': What Raimi Got Right That Webb Got Wrong]

But aside from is myriad TV iterations and discount toys, "MMPR" has also become notorious for the "Power Rangers Curse," which has seen several of those associated with the shows suffer sad fates off screen. Among them:

—Skylar Deleon, the actor who played Roger in the original series episode, "Second Chance" (1994), was charged with the 2004 murders of Long beach residents Tom and Jackie Hawks. He was convicted and sentenced to death in April 2009.

—Eric Frank, the brother of series regular Jason David Frank (who played Tommy Oliver, the original Green Ranger, the original White Ranger and the White Ninja Ranger) and who had a guest star appearance as David Trueheart in "Power Rangers Zeo," died of a heart illness at the age of 29 in April 2001.

—Richard Genelle, the actor who played Ernie, the owner of the Youth Center and occasional advisor to the Power Rangers, from the original series through "Power Rangers: Turbo," left the show to concentrate on losing weight and quitting smoking. He died of a heart attack at the age of 47 in 2008.

—Bob Manahan, the actor who voiced Zordon, the Power Rangers' mentor, died of a heart attack at the age of 44 in June 2000.

—Thuy Thang, the actress who played the Trini Kwan (the Yellow Ranger) in the first two seasons of the original series, died in a car crash at the age of 27 in Sept. 2001.

[‘Jurassic Park’ Five Film Facts: Are Those Raptors or Guys in Monster Suits?]

“I’ve never heard there’s a curse," Yost told Yahoo. "But obviously anyone who’s stepping into the role of a Power Ranger — I just hope that they realize how exciting that is and the impact they will have on many people’s lives throughout the world and do their best to portray a good superhero."

The original series also ended up conjuring some bad vibes when Thang, Austin St. John (the original Red Ranger) and Walter Emanuel Jones (the original Black Ranger) just up and left the show after the second season over a pay dispute. This broke the hearts of many fans... and was regarded by more than a few as an absurd situation, with Michael McCollor at Smosh pointing out that a job "literally consisting of pouring smoothies on Bulk and Skull and pretending to talk to a giant head in a tube" deserved to be paid in simply "donuts and Olive Garden gift certificates."

Theater people know you don't say "Macbeth" in a theater, 'cause it's all sorts of bad luck. As Shakespeare's tragedy is often referred to as "The Scottish Play," maybe the producers of the new "MMPR" feature should find a way to make the cast and crew never utter the actual title of the movie they're making. "The Skittles Players," anyone?

Marisa Okano contributed to this report.