Lionsgate and Saban brands have officially set a release date for the feature film reboot of the long-running “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” franchise, a title they have now shortened to simply Power Rangers, presumably since it’s slightly less ridiculous.
July 22, 2016 is the date they have staked out for Power Rangers, which now has a confirmed (but very vague) synopsis that reads as follows:
“From a story by Executive Producer Roberto Orci (TRANSFORMERS, STAR TREK, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2) and screenwriters Zack Stentz and Ashley Miller (X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, THOR) comes a modern reinvention of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a group of ordinary high school kids who find themselves infused with extraterrestrial powers and must harness those powers as a team to save the world.”
Even though it’s two years away, Power Rangers already has competition at the box office. July 22, 2016 will also mark the release of a new King Arthur movie directed by Guy Ritchie (Sherlock Holmes). One week later, the third – currently untitled – movie in the of the Planet of the Apes franchise is also scheduled for release.
Related: You Don’t Like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Because You’re an Adult
We had our reservations about whether a franchise so inherently juvenile making a mark on modern theater-going audiences – since the target demographic very, very young – but after the surprise box office success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, perhaps Lionsgate is onto something. Maybe audiences are ready to feel like kids again.
No director or cast has yet been announced for Power Rangers, but with a release date less than two years away, we expect we’ll start hearing rumors and/or official announcements sooner than later.
William Bibbiani is the editor of CraveOnline’s Film Channel and the host of The B-Movies Podcast and The Blue Movies Podcast. Follow him on Twitter at @WilliamBibbiani.
