Dacre Montgomery Reveals 2017 Power Rangers Was Meant to Launch a Four-Movie Franchise

Power Rangers has been morphin' their way through pop culture for over three decades now. If you ever lost track of who was fighting what evil alien wizard, you're not alone. The juggernaut started in 1993 with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers on TV. Since then, the brand has churned out endless spinoffs and a couple of movies—if you didn't have a Power Rangers phase, you probably had a friend who did. The latest mainline series, Power Rangers Cosmic Fury, wrapped things up on Netflix in 2023. Or so we thought.

Remember That Power Rangers Movie Reboot? Yeah, the One You Forgot

In 2017, Lionsgate decided it was time to hit reset on the Rangers. They rolled out a new Power Rangers movie simply called, well, 'Power Rangers.' The concept: reintroduce the original five teens (now with more angst and snappier dialogue) and hope for a MCU-style franchise boom.

- Dacre Montgomery (who would become a bigger deal as Billy in Stranger Things) played Red Ranger Jason.
- Bryan Cranston (yes, Walter White) turned up as Zordon, the floating space-head mentor.
- Bill Hader voiced the all-purpose robot sidekick Alpha 5.
- Elizabeth Banks chewed some serious scenery as Rita Repulsa, the show’s iconic villain.

The plan? Not just a one-off. Dacre Montgomery just told MovieWeb this was supposed to be a whole series:

'It was a four-picture deal with Lionsgate... but it didn't make enough on the investment that the studio had made to continue making more. But I hear they're rebooting it again. I think Saban might have sold the IP off, so I'm excited for the future of that. You know, Power Rangers means a great deal to a lot of people. So I know that whoever steps into those shoes will be great. And I had the best time.'

If you're thinking, wait, a four-part Power Rangers movie epic? That was really the plan. (Apparently Lionsgate wanted their own Hunger Games-level success.) Unfortunately, the 2017 film made about $142 million at the box office on a $120 million budget—okay, but nowhere near 'let's make three more!' territory.

The Rights Get Passed Around (Again)

Following the movie's 'well, we tried' performance, Saban cut their losses. In 2018, they sold the rights to Hasbro, a company that apparently wants to own everything you loved as a kid. Which brings us to the present: new ownership, new plans, and, yes, another reboot in the works.

What’s Next? A New Power Rangers Series (But Details Are Weirdly Secretive)

Back in December 2025, MovieWeb confirmed that Disney+ was getting in on the action. The folks who run Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Dan Shotz and Jonathan E. Steinberg) have been roped in to develop a brand new Power Rangers series.

Shotz, when pressed about whether the new series would keep the existing spaghetti-mess continuity or just start over, basically laughed off the question. In his words:

'You are asking questions that you know I can't answer... Let's just say we very much hope to bring that story to life, so that's all I can say at this point.'

Still, some leaks have started to slip through about who Disney is eyeing for the Rangers lineup, so here's the current rumor roster:

• Shaun Dixon ('Vampirina: Teenage Vampire')
• Paris Bravo
• Judd Goodstein ('You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah')
• Momona Tamada ('Avatar: The Last Airbender')
• Christian Alexander Cruz
• Kira McLean ('Law & Order: Special Victims Unit')

Not exactly household names, but that’s how it usually starts with these shows.

So, What Now?

If more Power Rangers news drops, I’ll be right here, sifting through the Multicolored Helmet Lore so you don't have to. In the meantime, if you prefer your Dacre Montgomery dark and menacing, he’s starring in the new horror film 'Faces of Death,' which is hitting theaters this weekend. File this all under 'nothing ever really ends in Hollywood'—especially when toy sales are involved.