Power Rangers 2 might not be happening

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

It looks like Power Rangers 2 may be dead in the water. Neither Lionsgate nor Saban have indicated that sequel plans are moving forward but fans, and director Dean Israelite, hoped that a sequel may still happen, despite the fact that Power Rangers didn't live up to expectations. However, it looks like a possible, final nail in the coffin has emerged, as Saban has decided not to renew the trademark for the Power Rangers movie logo.

Saban owns the Power Rangers brand and they produced this year's live-action movie with Lionsgate. So the fact that they've opted not to renew the trademark for the logo they used for the movie, which also extends to games, TV and multimedia content, isn't overly encouraging for those who want to see Power Rangers 2 happen. Just to give an idea of how much this particular trademark covered, here's the official text in regards to the trademark, explaining everything that it entails.

"The description provided to the USPTO for Saban's Power Rangers is Entertainment in the nature of online games; entertainment services in the nature of creation, development, distribution and production of motion pictures, multimedia entertainment content and television shows; entertainment services, namely, personal appearances by characters and individuals associated with motion pictures and television series and other entertainment programs; fan clubs; presentation of live show performances; providing a website featuring entertainment information, interviews, movie clips and trailers, online games, television clips and trailers and short-form entertainment content delivered by internet, mobile and wireless networks; providing a website featuring non-downloadable videos and images in the fields of action, adventure and science fiction delivered by internet, mobile and wireless networks."
Even though the logo was primarily used for the Power Rangers movie, it was created by Saban's Entertainment division and covered a lot of ground. Now, there are a few reasons that Saban could have let the trademark expire, but even if they plan on making a new logo for a Power Rangers sequel, this seems like a strange thing to let go. Assuming they have plans on making a sequel. If they've abandoned the idea completely, then it makes total sense. Over the summer, director Dean Israelite expressed his desire to do Power Rangers 2 and said that discussions were happening, but that's the last we heard officially.

"I hope so. It's obviously not up to me, but I know the studio (Lionsgate) and Saban are talking in earnest about it, and are trying to push forward. They're having a discussion."

Even though there's an argument to be made for Power Rangers being a brand, and the movie possibly helping that brand, 2017's live-action Power Rangers movie wasn't a success. Power Rangers made just $142 million worldwide on a $100 million budget. No matter how you sliced it, Saban and Lionsgate lost some money on the deal. So, even though they set up Power Rangers 2 and hoped to bring the Green Ranger into the fold, this new info from Trademarkia doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. Sorry, Power Rangers fans, but you might have to wait for a reboot in a few years.

movieweb.com/power-rangers-2-dead-movie-logo-trademark-not-renewed/

Kind of surprised if true. I still haven't watched the movie myself but i've heard many positive things about the movie and thought this would get a sequel even if it lost some money from the movie 

[Captain Patren Fenderbaum-X]

I enjoyed the movie it was better than I thought but I think partially why this is happening is because Power Rangers on TV well is unfortunate ass and has been since Saban got the rights back.

I really wish they would have went with the idea of a TimeForce movie but this time make it in canon to the show and use that team to establish the power rangers version of the multiverse.

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

Oct 31, 2017 21:31:25 GMT -5 Captain Patren Fenderbaum-X said:

I enjoyed the movie it was better than I thought but I think partially why this is happening is because Power Rangers on TV well is unfortunate ass and has been since Saban got the rights back.

I really wish they would have went with the idea of a TimeForce movie but this time make it in canon to the show and use that team to establish the power rangers version of the multiverse.

I wish they just take the comic and adapt that

It essentially starts after Tommy joins the team anyway and they are now writing a comic series for the teams first days so it wouldn't be that hard to make a script handling Tommy introduction and all of that

Plus I want to see Lord Drakkon which you could easily make Jason David Frank giving it a multiverse

[BorneAgain]

I think a Power Rangers movie was going to struggle in a post MCU cinema world where youngish superhero team fighting in big set pieces wasn't that big a novelty.

Its kind of a sad irony that many of the PR TV series were so shallow in characterization and plot they would have worked better as one off movies, while this recent Power Rangers film had such decently layered characters that it might have been better as the pilot of a television show that could continue developing them.

[Zone Was Wrong]

This is unfortunately news. I loved the film. The characters were so much better than expected. So much material to use for a long film series. Though I'm reminded now I need to collect the comic series. Been hearing wonderful things about it.

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

Oct 31, 2017 21:39:09 GMT -5 Zone Was Wrong said:

This is unfortunately news. I loved the film. The characters were so much better than expected. So much material to use for a long film series. Though I'm reminded now I need to collect the comic series. Been hearing wonderful things about it.

Yea you should, I highly recommend it

They gave it a fresh coat of paint while still keeping the characters close to their original core as well

The Tommy early storyline is a good one

[Wolf Hawkfield no1 NZ poster]

Hardy surprising as it was a massive flop.

[El Cokehead del Knife Fight]

I enjoyed it but it's deffo a flawed film.

[A Platypus Rave]

Oct 31, 2017 22:10:03 GMT -5 Wolf Hawkfield no1 NZ poster said:

Hardy surprising as it was a massive flop.

Yeah... this is pretty old news

They said back in May that the movie massively under-preformed and sequels were unlikely.

IT made 142 on a 100 million budget... using conventional Hollywood math that means it needed 58 million more to break even.

Though it apparently did really well in Merch sales.

[Sir Woodrow]

Yeah, 142 million at the Box Office is nothing when you consider movies like GOTG 2, Wonder Woman & Spidey all made over 800 million dollars each this year

[adamclark52]

This doesn't surprise me. The movie was a lot better than I expected but the pacing didn't work. They needed to cut around a half and hour to forty-five minutes out to keep younger audiences interested.

[Rumble McSkirmish]

Nov 1, 2017 1:50:30 GMT -5 A Platypus Rave said:

Oct 31, 2017 22:10:03 GMT -5 Wolf Hawkfield no1 NZ poster said:

Hardy surprising as it was a massive flop.

Yeah... this is pretty old news

They said back in May that the movie massively under-preformed and sequels were unlikely.

IT made 142 on a 100 million budget... using conventional Hollywood math that means it needed 58 million more to break even.

Though it apparently did really well in Merch sales.

Also opening the same month as the live action Beauty and The Beast movie really did it no favors.

[Tea & Crumpets]

MMPR was my #1 show as a kid, and I basically always wanted a well written, slightly more grown-up PR movie. Yet I really did not like that film. It tried to be too dark for me (It wasn't ULTRA DARK but it's still a hell of a tonal departure), that combined with the colossal reinventions of just about every character and plot point and there wasn't even much for older viewers because it was too different to feel much nostalgia. It was a perfectly mediocre teen superhero film, but I think the level of re-design and grittying up they did while still carrying the Power Rangers brand killed it.

If they'd gone down a more Guardians of the Galaxy/Spiderman Homecoming route, embrace the colourful, goofy kitsch of the show while still writing a good film, I think it'd have done miles better.

[riseofsetian1981]

They should've never did the origin story again. In my opinion they could've just started the Green Ranger storyline as a first film, having the Power Rangers already established would've helped a lot actually.

[Kevin Hamilton]

They probably shoulda waited 10 years when my generation has gotten all the 80s nostalgia out of our systems/we've aged out of bein in charge of studios and stuff.

[chrom]

Which channel is more ashamed to have Power Rangers on their network, Disney or Nickelodeon

[Captain Stud Muffin (BLM)]

Nov 1, 2017 9:45:52 GMT -5 chrom said:

Which channel is more ashamed to have Power Rangers on their network, Disney or Nickelodeon

At least Disney had the decency to run some of the older episodes

[H-Virus]

Aw, but what about all of that sweet Krispy Kreme money? Surely that was enough to off-set their budget loses?

[Deleted]

Kinda sad for any movie/franchise when "the logo can't be used anymore" is considered any sort of nail in the coffin, much less the final one.

[Tenshigure]

Nov 1, 2017 10:07:23 GMT -5 Captain Stud Muffin (BLM) said:

Nov 1, 2017 9:45:52 GMT -5 chrom said:

Which channel is more ashamed to have Power Rangers on their network, Disney or Nickelodeon

At least Disney had the decency to run some of the older episodes

I'd go as far as to say that the crew that led the Disney Era did better than many give credit for. Aside from the atrocity that was Operation Overdrive, most of the series in that timeframe had some obvious care to the work (RPM is still my favorite PR series). Nick's Saban era...the best I can say is, it just doesn't feel like they put any heart into the work. Some moments are nice, but the writing has never been worse. But I digress...

***

I'm honestly not surprised that there's not going to be a sequel to the movie. Personally while the movie certainly better than anticipated (after the first trailer), the changes they made to the series lore and the campiness that drove the fun were mostly stripped away to make room for "Breakfast Club: the 21st Century". They developed a story aimed at a weird audience level as well. Whereas the original was aimed at 10-13 year olds who dreamt of what high school was like (with bright colors and fun extracurriculars), the movie was aimed at the 13-16 year old that made the Rangers more outcasts than leaders. In my personal opinion, it would've been a great bonus to the movie to set the timeline in the early/mid 90s (similar to the early 80s backdrop of 'Stranger Things'), adding the fun of nostalgic easter eggs for older audiences while providing an excuse to add the color and fun that was missing in the movie. 

When I showed the original MMPR to my then 6-year-old daughter, she was completely enamored with the show and binge watched it as much as possible. By the time this movie came out when she turned 8, the fun she expected just wasn't there until like the last 15-20 minutes. No kid wants to worry about peer pressure, not fitting in, or being bullied by classmates. They want to imagine being superheroes, fighting bad guys, saving the world!

I mean, at least Super Sentai still holds those ideals in their productions. But what does it know...they've only been on the air for 42+ years...