The Power Rangers franchise has been a wild ride since it kicked off with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers back in ’93. From cheesy TV episodes to a big-budget 2017 movie, it’s had its share of ups and downs, but fans keep coming back for those spandex-clad heroes and their epic battles. A few years ago, director Jonathan Entwistle, the guy behind Netflix’s The End of the F*ing World and I Am Not Okay With This, got fans buzzing with his bold vision for a Power Rangers cinematic universe. He had big plans—movies, a TV show, the works—but, like a Zord crashing in some far-off galaxy, it all fell apart. In a recent Reddit AMA, Entwistle spilled the beans on what could’ve been, and let’s just say, it sounds like we missed out on something epic. Here’s the scoop on his Tommy Oliver-centered reboot, a mystical TV series, and why it all ended up in a “Lost Galaxy.”
Tommy Oliver and Lord Drakkon Take Center Stage
Entwistle wasn’t just looking to retell the Mighty Morphin story. Nope, his reboot was all about Tommy Oliver, the ultimate fan-favorite Ranger. You know Tommy—the guy who went from Green Ranger to White, Red, and Black, stealing hearts across multiple seasons. Entwistle’s plan was to make Tommy the heart of a “time-bending HUGE story” focused on stopping Lord Drakkon, the evil, alternate-universe Tommy from the Power Rangers comics by BOOM! Studios. Drakkon’s this dark, power-hungry version of Tommy who rules with an iron fist, and facing him off against our hero sounded like the perfect way to dive into a multiverse saga, Spider-Verse style.
The idea was to lean into Tommy’s legacy as one of the most iconic Rangers, with a story that mixed time travel and multiversal chaos. There were whispers (from older reports) about modern teens getting zapped back to the ‘90s, which would’ve been a fun mix of nostalgia and fresh faces. It was a chance to honor the OG fans while pulling in new ones, with Drakkon as the ultimate bad guy to raise the stakes.
A TV Series with a King Arthur Twist
On top of the movie, Entwistle was cooking up a Power Rangers TV series for Netflix with showrunner Jenny Klein, who worked on Daisy Jones & The Six. This wasn’t your typical high-tech, space-blasting Rangers vibe. Instead, it was going for a “King Arthur vibe”—think mystical, magical, maybe even a bit medieval. Klein had this cool idea about “sentient colors,” which sounds like the Rangers’ powers could’ve been tied to some ancient, almost magical force, maybe even something like the Quasar Sabers from Power Rangers Lost Galaxy. It felt like they were ready to dig into the deeper mythology of what makes a Ranger, moving away from the usual giant robot battles.
Speaking of Lost Galaxy, Entwistle’s nod to that season in his AMA feels like more than just a clever phrase. Lost Galaxy (1999) was a big deal—it was the first season to break away from the Mighty Morphin crew, with a new cast on a space colony called Terra Venture, wielding those mystical Quasar Sabers. Entwistle’s reboot might’ve been inspired by that season’s mix of space adventure and magical elements, giving his universe a unique flavor.
What Went Wrong?
So, why did this awesome-sounding reboot crash and burn? It’s a messy story. Entwistle’s project started with Paramount Pictures in 2018, with him set to direct a film. Then it shifted to Netflix under Hasbro’s eOne after Hasbro bought the Power Rangers franchise. Things seemed promising—until Netflix pulled the plug on the TV series in June 2024, and the movie got canned too. The big culprit? Corporate chaos. Hasbro sold off eOne’s film and TV business in 2023, which threw a wrench into a bunch of projects, including this one.
The Power Rangers franchise has had rough luck with reboots before. The 2017 movie made $142 million but cost $100 million, so plans for sequels got scrapped. Entwistle’s vision, with its multiverse and time-travel craziness, might’ve been too ambitious for studios nervous about big budgets. Plus, Entwistle got busy with other gigs, like directing Karate Kid: Legends, and Klein left the project in 2024. With no clear updates and just fan rumors floating around (like some unverified tweet about Tommy being “the center of everything”), the whole thing just fizzled out.
A Lost Galaxy and What’s Next
Entwistle calling his canceled project a “Lost Galaxy” hits hard, especially for fans of that season. Lost Galaxy had its own struggles—actress Valerie Vernon, who played the Pink Ranger, had to step away mid-season due to a leukemia diagnosis, forcing some major rewrites. Still, it’s loved for its darker tone and space-colony vibe. Entwistle’s reboot feels like it got lost similarly, stuck in development limbo with no way home.
But it’s not all doom and gloom for Power Rangers fans. Word on the street (from December 2024 reports) is that Disney+ is working on a new live-action reboot series, with Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz, the Percy Jackson showrunners, in talks to take the helm. Disney owned Power Rangers back in the 2000s, so this feels like a homecoming. Details are slim, but it’s a glimmer of hope after years of false starts.
Final Thoughts
Jonathan Entwistle’s Power Rangers reboot sounded like a dream come true—a Tommy Oliver epic, a multiverse showdown with Lord Drakkon, and a mystical TV series with a King Arthur twist. It was a bold swing to reinvent the franchise, but corporate shakeups and bad timing sent it to the “Lost Galaxy” of canceled projects. Still, with a new Disney+ series in the works, the Power Rangers might just morph back into action. For now, fans can only imagine what Entwistle’s universe could’ve been, but one thing’s for sure: the Rangers’ spirit is still out there, ready to fight another day.