This is not a drill, fellow millennials! If you grew up watching the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, you are about to experience a lot of feelings when I tell you the following information, and I want you to remember to use any breathing technique you’ve learned in the past that may help you stay calm in the face of an emotional upheaval. We have confirmation that much of the original 1993 cast of the Fox Kids show—yes, even some of the original rangers—will appear in a 2023 revival special, titled Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, premiering on Netflix on April 19.
Netflix has released an official trailer for this 30-year anniversary special (Yikes, my memories of clicking through channels with a brick-size remote and finally settling for this weird new superhero show with no mouths moving, wild costumes, and bizarre anime-like pacing are actually from a full 30 years ago, eep!), starring the original Blue Ranger, Billy Cranston, played by David Yost, and the original Black Ranger, Zack Taylor, played by Walter E. Jones, according to reporting from Variety. Also from the original cast, Barbara Goodson will play the voice of the villain Rita Repulsa. There is no mention of an appearance from a replacement Green Ranger after the death of Green Ranger actor Jason David Frank in November 2022.
Catherine Sutherland, the second actor to play the Pink Power Ranger, will appear in the film. Back in January, Amy Jo Johnson, the first Pink Ranger, tweeted, “For the record I never said no…I just didn’t say yes to what was offered. But other fun stuff is in-store! Looking forward to watching my friends kick ass!”
Steve Cardenas will play the second Red Ranger, and Karan Ashley will play the second Yellow Ranger. The main conflict in the plot is that the Rangers discover it was Rita Replusa who killed the original Yellow Ranger. Now, the villain is creating some kind of “time portal” and is planning all kinds of violence. Sigh, oh you, Rita! And the Rangers have to stop her. As the promotion materials from Netflix explain it, “the Rangers come face-to-face with a familiar threat from the past. In the midst of a global crisis, they are called on once again to be the heroes the world needs.”
Don’t forget the saying, fellow nerds: “Once a ranger, always a ranger.”
(featured image: Netflix)
