Saban Takes Back POWER RANGERS!! Rebirth Ahoy!?

Merrick here...
This is the kind of story that's not liekly to play terribly well to most readers. But, based on past experience, I'm certain at least some of you will care about the following... Most of us know what POWER RANGERS are/were. But if you haven't been following the shows regularly, or if you don't have kids who follow the shows, you may not know that Disney assimilated POWER RANGERS a few years back. After years of being fueled by a certain "vibe", the resulting series were texturally softened, even more encheapend than than they already were, etc. The Mouse-era shows looked wrong, felt wrong, and had little or none of the energy which characterized earlier iterations of PR. Complicating matters, seems the "violence" (people fights, giant robot fights, monster fights, etc.) characterizing the show didn't sit partuclarly well with Disney - but what did they think they were getting, exactly? Haim Saban - instrumental in globalizing POWER RANGERS (which originated in Japan) and turning it into a merchandising phenomenon (Wiki says Forbes once listed Saban as the 102nd richest person in America) is evidently retaking the franchise from Disney, effectivel almost immediately.

Library episodes of the show will start airing on Nicktoons later this year, with 20 new episodes set for Nickelodeon and Nicktoons in 2011 under the direction of original executive producer Jonathan Tzachor. [EDIT] Saban is betting that the broader exposure on Nick will boost ratings for the show and once again make it a key part of youth culture in the U.S. The current pre-production process for the show's 18th season involves the search for a new cast and a new theme. Saban is also eyeing Power Rangers film projects, live tours and theme park attractions.

...says The Hollywood Reporter HERE. Always loved how each season or two of this series essentially deployed the same basic concept across a new cast, setting, and theme. An interesting conceit - I'm surprised hasn't been adopted by other shows.
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