It is probably a pretty good time to be aPower Rangersfan. Next month, the long-awaited movie reboot ofPower Rangersis coming to the big screen and, after the last epic trailer landed online, it really got people feeling optimistic about Lionsgate’s new take on the material. It turns out that isn’t the only new take on thePower Rangersthat is in the works, becauseAdi Shankaris developing a new R-rated series based on the original show.
The news comes courtesy ofPolygon, who recently talked withAdi Shankarabout this dark, Power Rangers Animated Reboot he is working on. According to the report, the show will be influenced byDragonball Zand will reimagine the first three seasons of theMighty Morphin Power Rangers. Here is whatAdi Shankarhad to say about it.
“It’s a complete retelling of the first three seasons. And it’s going to be really f*****g dark. Darker than any other Power Rangers series.”
For those who may not be familiar withAdi Shankar, he is known for doing very cinematic fan films.Punisher: Dirty Laundry, which brought backThomas Janeas Frank Castle, was arguably the most faithful adaptation ofThe Punisherwe’d seen prior toDaredevilseason 2, which featuredJon Bernthalas the character. Interestingly enough, Bernthal citedDirty Laundryas research for his take onThe Punisher. ButAdi Shankar’s biggest hit to date wasPower/Rangers, a live-action, gritty, violent reimagining of the franchise that featuredKatee SackhoffandJames Van Der Beek. The short went viral and was praised by fans, but he ran into some rights issues, which shouldn’t come as a big surprise. Still, he has proven he knows how to do a gritty version ofPower Rangers.
It was recently announced thatAdi Shankaris doing an animatedCastlevaniaseries for Netflix. If he has his way, that is where he is hoping to have his new Power Rangersanimated serieswind up. Netflix hasn’t commented on it, butShankarpraised the streaming service and feels like they are the right place for the series.
“Netflix is doing what every other network should be doing. I’ve worked with almost every network and Netflix just gets it. The world we live in now has disrupted the idea of what entertainment is and Netflix gets it. If you look at what shows are like today, they’re long movies. It’s a format paradigm and I want to explore creating these types of new shows with Power Rangers. We’re going to focus on the beats of what made each show great and turn that into one, entirely new Power Rangers series,”
There is no word on when this new,super darkPower Rangers show will premiere, or where it will premiere for that matter, butAdi Shankaris hard at work on it. He is currently writing the scripts for the first season and said he hopes to have the series launch within the next 18 months. So, if all goes well, fans could be getting a solid newPower Rangersmovie this year and a gritty, animatedPower Rangersseries next year.
