Rumor: Hasbro and Toei Move to End Partnership, Ending Use of Super Sentai Footage in Power Rangers
Spencer Baculi
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The Power Rangers Franchise could be facing a major production setback, as a new rumor suggests that Hasbro and Toei may be ending their longtime partnership.
First reported on July 8th by The Illuminerdi, unnamed sources allegedly informed the pop culture news blog that Hasbro is the party seeking to end the relationship.
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These sources also stated that “Super Sentai will no longer be a factor in production for Power Rangers.”
The concept of multicolored teams of masked heroes originated in Japan as Super Sentai, with footage from Toei’s various Super Sentai series licensed by Saban Entertainment for use in the American Power Rangers adaptation of the franchise in the early 1990s.
Power Rangers episodes are currently produced by dubbing in-costume footage of heroes and villains from a given Super Sentai series intercut with originally filmed storylines using western actors.
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If true, the loss of Super Sentai footage could indicate that Hasbro is moving towards in-house production of Power Rangers content.
This potential is supported by confirmation from said sources that Hasbro “is committed to their upcoming Power Rangers movie that is in development over at Paramount.”
Related: Report: New Power Rangers Movie in The Works – Plot Details Revealed
A report back in December indicated that Hasbro was working with Paramount to develop a new Power Rangers film with Jonathan Entwistle reportedly helming the project.
The report from The Hollywood Reporter detailed that film will “involve a time-travel element that brings the kids to the 1990s and, in Back to the Future fashion, they have to find a way to get back to their present.”
The film is being written by Patrick Burleigh, who previously served as a story consultant on Ant-Man and the Wasp.
As of writing, neither Hasbro nor Toei have publicly commented on these rumors.
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