The Power Rangers property has found a new home alongside transforming robots and magic ponies, as Hasbro has bought the rights to the popular action series from Haim Saban.
The full purchase of the property will give rights of everything Power Rangers related, from television rights, toys and all other assets and naming rights with $522 million in cash and stocks.
Brian Goldner, CEO of Hasbro, issued the following statement:
Power Rangers is an iconic brand built on a heritage of great storytelling and merchandising with tremendous upside potential when fully executed across Hasbro’s Brand Blueprint. Shortly after entering into our licensing arrangement, it became clear that now was the time to begin investing in unlocking Power Rangers’ full potential. We see significant opportunity for Power Rangers across our entire Brand Blueprint, including toys and games, consumer products, digital gaming and entertainment, as well as geographically throughout our global retail footprint. We couldn’t be more pleased that Haim Saban will continue in a consulting role to further guide our development of this valuable property for the next generation of Power Rangers fans.
Hasbro expects to utilize production of the Power Rangers property by 2019, with Saban working alongside Hasbro as an advisory role.
Haim Saban released this response:
25 years after launching Power Rangers, I believe the future for this brand has never been greater. Hasbro’s leadership in innovation, storytelling and brand stewardship make it the perfect company to further develop the global reach and appeal of the Power Rangers property. I look forward to working with Brian [Goldner] and the team in the years to come.
The full press information is available on the official Hasbro website.
So what could this mean for the likes of the live-action film properties? While the original live-action Rangers film was a devastating box office bomb, plans to make a Hasbro cinematic universe are already on the table with plans of M.A.S.K. and a possible Transformers reboot. The very recent purchase of Power Rangers wouldn’t go in plan with with years of planning they have for the multitude of other films they are aiming to produce. We might not be able to see them for a while if Hasbro really wants to take their time. There is also the fact that discussion may also be needed on certain visions from original Sentai owners in addition to Saban supervision.
Will this mean a continuation of the film that came out? That might prove to be difficult with how negatively Transformers: The Last Knight turned out. A situation to end up like that with numerical results of the previous Rangers film may prove difficult to convince and might be scrapped. But all will be said in time.