Strap in, folks; Lionsgate has huge plans for its live-action Power Rangers franchise.
Having assembled a squad of newcomers to take point as the Mighty Morphin’ Rangers – namely RJ Cyler, Becky G, Ludi Lin, Naomi Scott and Dacre Montgomery – not to mention drafting in key players from Saban Films to oversee production, we always knew that the studio was aiming big with its modern interpretation of the ’90s phenomenon.
But when quizzed about the future of Lionsgate’s series, CEO Jon Feltheimer was bullish in his forecast, claiming that the team could wind up “doing five, or six, or seven.” Igniting a franchise that spans up to seven installments would require Lionsgate’s Power Rangers to reach the dizzying box office heights of, say, Paramount’s Transformers franchise.
[zergpaid]Nevertheless, even at such an early stage, Feltheimer displayed nothing but confidence during a recent call to investors, stating, “we are really really excited about the ‘Power Rangers’ movie. We could see doing five or six or seven.”
Sporting radical new versions of the iconic, color-coded suits, Dean Israelite (Project Almanac) is currently prepping the Rangers to descend on Angel Grove in early 2017, where Elizabeth Banks will cause chaos as the gleefully evil alien, Rita Repulsa. Without question, Lionsgate’s franchise plans will hinge on how Israelite’s origins tale is received by fans and critics, and at least based on Feltheimer’s prediction, the studio won’t settle for anything less than a strong international debut.
Lionsgate’s sharp-suited and rebooted Power Rangers will grace cinemas on March 24, 2017.