Disney+’s Live-Action ‘Power Rangers’ Reboot Just Got Some Bad News

Power Rangers fans have spent years watching the franchise bounce between studios and streamers, each attempt at a live-action revival ending in disappointment before ever reaching a screen. That frustrating pattern has just repeated itself once again, this time at Disney+, marking the second major streaming home to abandon the property in recent years.

The most recent attempt traced back to March 2025, when reports first surfaced that Hasbro was partnering with Disney+ and 20th Century TV on a new live-action Power Rangers series. That project gained real momentum when ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ showrunners Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz confirmed their involvement as writers, executive producers, and showrunners during a red carpet event for the Disney+ fantasy series’ second season premiere.

Now, according to a new Deadline report, Disney+ is officially not proceeding with the project, and the series will not move past its development stage after roughly a year and a half of work. According to sources, the decision came down almost entirely to business and budget concerns rather than any creative disagreements over the direction of the show.

The core issue centers on ownership. Mounting a high-end, live-action superhero series on the scale of ‘Power Rangers’ requires significant investment, and the economics become considerably less favorable when neither the streamer nor the producing studio actually owns the underlying intellectual property. In this case, the Power Rangers brand belongs to Hasbro, not Disney, meaning any expensive production risk would primarily benefit a company outside the Disney ecosystem.

This marks the second time in recent years that a live-action Power Rangers revival has collapsed before making it to screen. Netflix previously attempted its own reboot, with ‘Daisy Jones & the Six’ writer Jenny Klein attached as showrunner alongside Jonathan Entwistle, only for that version to be scrapped as well after Hasbro reportedly began seeking a new creative direction for the franchise with a different producing partner.

With both the Netflix and Disney+ attempts now dead, it remains unclear where Hasbro will turn next to finally get a new live-action Power Rangers series off the ground. The franchise, based on Japan’s long-running ‘Super Sentai’ tokusatsu series and first launched in the U.S. as ‘Mighty Morphin Power Rangers’ back in 1993, remains one of the longest-running live-action children’s franchises in television history, despite its repeated struggles finding a stable home for a modern reboot.

For Steinberg and Shotz, the setback doesn’t leave them without work. The duo remains busy overseeing ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ Season 3, which is set to premiere on Disney+ on November 20, giving them plenty to focus on even as their Power Rangers project quietly falls apart.

Disney+ has spent recent years expanding its slate beyond in-house intellectual property, developing outside projects like ‘Ella Enchanted’ and ‘Casper’ alongside what was once meant to be its Power Rangers entry. That broader diversification strategy suggests the streamer remains interested in external franchises in theory, even as this particular attempt fell victim to the financial realities of licensing someone else’s IP for an expensive production.

For now, Power Rangers fans are left waiting once again, with no clear indication of where or when the franchise might finally get another shot at a live-action comeback.