- Today's Nerdist News is sponsored by WB Games.
Are the new owners of the Power Rangers
setting up their own Marvel-esque cinematic universe?
Last year's Power Rangers movie failed to go
(clears throat), excuse me, something caught in my throat.
B-Comp, could you bring me my coffee, please?
- [B-Comp] Yeah, yeah, one second.
(coffee splashes)
Yeah, I got it.
- Are you okay?
- [B-Comp] Yeah, I got it.
I'll get you a new one.
- Last year's Power Rangers movie
failed to go-go at the box office,
grossing less than a mighty $143 million,
not exactly terrible, but not nearly enough
to morph them into the MCU-sized franchise
that Lionsgate was hoping for.
But that doesn't mean the Rangers are
out of the movie game altogether.
A few months ago, toy manufacturer Hasbro
acquired the rights to the property,
and while they remained pretty quiet
about their plans for them,
it seemed pretty reasonable to assume
that a return trip to the multiplex was in order.
After all, Hasbro has been hungry
for a box office dominance
ever since the late 2000's
when they released the first live-action Transformers movie
and the first live-action GI Joe movie
within about two years of each other.
And, sure enough, Brian Goldner,
Chairman and CEO of Hasbro, recently confirmed exactly that.
In a speech made during a company conference,
Goldner explained that he considered Power Rangers
to be incredibly undervalued, and that Hasbro will be able
to exploit the brand to a much greater extent.
He went on to add that Power Rangers can
"plug and play right into our strategy
"where we activate it in entertainment, motion pictures,
"and then of course, across toys and games
"and consumer products".
So there you have it.
More motion pictures are definitely on the way.
But what Goldner wouldn't seem willing to comment on
is whether Hasbro will continue
with the story and characters established in the 2017 film,
or whether they would give the franchise another reboot.
Of course, maybe he doesn't have to
because at the end of the day,
the reboot road seems nearly inevitable.
- (grumbles) Here you go.
- Thank you.
What's with (stutters),
What's with this weird ducky mug?
- Just, it's coffee.
- (sighs)
For one thing, there just doesn't seem to be
much worth salvaging from Power Rangers 2017,
with maybe the exception of Elizabeth Banks'
super fun, scenery chewing turn as Rita Repulsa.
Other than that, the movie was pretty forgettable,
neither embraced or reviled by fans or critics.
No one really hated it,
but no one was jumping to it's defense either.
And with a reception like that, why not just start over?
But perhaps even more importantly,
a reboot would probably fit in better
with the movie strategy Hasbro has been cooking up
over the last several years.
Like pretty much every other studio in existence right now,
Hasbro wants it's own cinematic universe,
but their plans for one have been met
with a lot of hiccups recently.
Originally there were reports
that the Hasbro cinematic universe
would grow out of Michael Bay's Transformers films,
teaming up Optimus and the gang
with other Hasbro heroes like GI Joe.
Screenwriters Jonathan Francis Daley
and Jonathan Goldstein worked together
on treatments for both the Rom the Spaceknight
and a Mask movie, but according to them,
those properties have been all-but-forgotten by the studio.
They still have a new GI Joe movie
and a Micronauts movie on the docket for 2020,
and a Dungeons and Dragons movie slated for 2021,
but we're kind of hard-pressed to see
how any of those properties could generate
the same excitement as Iron Man, Captain America, or Thor.
But Power Rangers could!
Theoretically!
It has the history and the multiple generations of fans
to make it a really good potential hub
for a cinematic universe.
But what do you folks think?
Are you excited for more Power Rangers movies?
Do you think a Hasbro cinematic universe
is worth playing in?
And do you think there will be as many
Krispy Kreme references in the new Power Rangers universe?
Let's discuss.
Thank you again to WB Games for sponsoring today's episode,
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B-Comp, I'm done.
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