Expanding the Power Rangers Movie Universe

This article contains minor Power Rangers movie spoilers.

From the very beginning, the Power Rangers movie was world building. Starting off with a reference to the Zeo Crystal blew open the mythology of the movie and where the film franchise, which is planned to have five sequels, could go. For those not in the know, the Zeo Crystal was an element introduced in season three of the original series that lead up to the fourth season, Power Rangers Zeo. 

Writer of the film John Gatins says a lot of these mythology seeded throughout the movie were thanks to Senior Vice President of Development and Production at Saban Brands, Brian Casentini. Gatins says Casentini has not only watched the series and characters evolve over the years but also how fans have tied it all together.

“(Fans) have created a kind of matrix of how different villains are interconnected and how this moment of history can be related to this moment of history,” Gatins told us.

Director Dean Israelite also credits the team at Saban for being the ones most familiar with the franchise and its complicated mythology. “[Saban] would help guide us,” Israelite says. “‘Oh well this doesn’t make sense’ because of what happened in some season I’m not familiar with.”

Along with the Zeo Crystal the film also featured several other world building tidbits, including the tease of Tommy Oliver, the Green power coin, and Zordon referring to the past Power Rangers as a “legion of warriors.” Gatins says these were all suggestions of things to come, “whether it be in graphic novels or TV shows or animated shows or for future movies potentially.”

Gatins didn’t elaborate on that statement but expanding the Power Rangers universe beyond the movie screen is already happening with the release of the graphic novel, Power Rangers: Aftershock. You can read more about it here, but basically it takes place directly after the movie and involves a new set of monsters attacking the city. While Gatins’ comments are very much of a blue sky nature, it’s exciting to know that everyone is ready to take the Power Rangers movie universe in as many directions as possible if the film is a success.

Could that possibly include spinoffs? There are several other Saban series the film series could draw on, including VR Troopers and Masked Rider. Gatins laughs and elaborates, “Anything is possible. I worked on Kong: Skull Island and that’s a movie that we knew without knowing there was the bubblings of a universe and everything now is a universe. Everything feels like it’s going to have cousins and second cousins. You never know.”

No matter where the franchise goes however, Gatins would want to keep the story focused on the Ranger characters. “Teenagers, as much as they won’t say it, they want to be like, ‘Oh, that’s like my realaionship with so and so’. I like that in movies and TV shows. I’d like to push further in the (Rangers) personal relationships and their personal stories.” he told me. “Let the world of the Power Rangers characters and arcs and evil forces kind of find them and have them come together.”

If you want more details on the Power Rangers movie sequel, check out more information here. 

Shamus Kelley needs 100000% more Dex in this franchise. Follow him on Twitter!