EXCLUSIVE: Disney+ is not proceeding with its live-action Power Rangers series.
The project, written and executive produced by Percy Jackson and the Olympians executive producers/showrunners Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz, was set up for development at the Disney streamer about a year and a half ago with sibling 20th Television as the studio. It will not be going past the development stage.
According to sources, the reasons for the pass are not so much creative than they are business- (aka budget-) related. Mounting a high-end, live-action superhero series of the caliber of Power Rangers is a major investment, the economics of which are not as favorable when the streamer and/or the producing studio do not own the IP, which is the case here. The Power Rangers brand is owned by Hasbro, which has been looking to get a live-action series adaptation off the ground, with Netflix taking a crack at it several years ago.
Once focused entirely on exploiting Disney properties, Disney+ has been increasingly opening up its slate to outside IP, including making development deals for Ella Enchanted and Casper series over the past couple of months.
Steinberg and Shotz are busy finishing Season 3 of the 20th Television-produced hit Disney+ series Percy Jackson and the Olympians, which premieres on Nov. 20, and developing other projects for the studio under their overall deal there.
