In continuing to dig his own, tokusatsu-styled grave, now former franchise executive producer Simon Bennett has admitted that, despite his years of work on the series, he never became “a fan” of either Power Rangers or its source series, Super Sentai.
Bennett would offer this latest insight into his feelings towards the two series amidst a conversation regarding his recent comment that, in order for the Power Rangers franchise “to reach a large mainstream audience, the franchise has to move away from its Tokusatsu roots”.
This latest raising of the topic was done on September 24th, courtesy of an interview with long-time Pink Ranger actor Catherine Sutherland (who bore the mantle in Mighty Morphin, Zeo, and Turbo, the first identity of which she recently reprised for Netflix’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always special) conducted by YouTuber and actor Nicolás Iacianci.
Super Sentai is LIMITING for Power Rangers #powerrangers #cosmicfury ⚡️👊🏻 pic.twitter.com/VdBVMVkGYV
— Nick⚡News (@nicknewsok) September 24, 2023
At one point during their conversation, Iacianci pointed to Bennett’s comment and asked his guest, “Once & Always and Cosmic Fury are two projects with creative freedom; Do you think Power Rangers has needed to distance itself from Super Sentai for a while, to forge its own path?”
In turn, Sutherland opined, “Yeah, I’m actually really happy they did that with Cosmic Fury, and created their own costumes, because it’s limiting when you’re taking footage from another series.”
“It’s limiting you to only having that footage you can use, and kind of trying to tailor a story around that, which is what they’ve been doing all these years,” she added. “So I’m really happy that they chose to do that, and I really hope it does well. I’m really excited to see it.”
Unsurprisingly this excerpt from from Iacianci’s full interview with Sutherland was met with a ride range of responses, most of which were either supportive of Power Rangers striking out on its own or shaking their heads at what they perceived as yet another case of Hollywood’s usual hubris.
Among those seeking to offer their opinion was Twitter user @SickJacketMan, who rather than take a definitive side, instead opined, “I can respect wanting to do something original. However if you want to insult what made Power Rangers you shouldn’t be running Power Rangers.”
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Eventually, @SickJacketMan’s tweet caught the attention of Bennett himself.
Noting that the tweet was a dig at his previous comment, Bennett asserted, “I don’t think I was being insulting. I hold Super Sentai in the highest regard.”
This assertion would then draw a question from @deadcolo84, who point blanked asked Bennett, “Be honest, @Pookina1…do you like Super Sentai?”
“If it wasn’t for Power Rangers, I would never have crossed paths with Super Sentai,” replied the Cosmic Fury showrunner. “I’m not a fan of either show, but have thoroughly enjoyed the encounter, and working on Power Rangers.”
Admittedly, it is not unheard of for Hollywood employees to only treat their roles as mere jobs. After all, at the end of the day, everything a director or an actor does can still be considered ‘work’.
The issue instead lies with the fact that Bennett, and many who share his mentality, are being put in charge of properties and franchises that have a long history of passion and dedication in their DNA.
Thanks to Hollywood’s long and sordid history of mishandling various ‘geek properties’, fans are unwary, to say the least, of Western attempt to adapt anything.
Combine this skepticism with a showrunner openly admitting that both their affinity for the property under their care ends when the work day does and that it needs to change its core identity in order to find future success, and it quickly becomes clear why so many would feel frustrated at having someone openly admit that to they consider someone’s favorite piece of entertainment to be nothing more than a simple paycheck.
Power Rangers Cosmic Fury morphs exclusively onto Netflix this Friday, September 29th.
NEXT: ‘Power Rangers’ Franchise Star Jason David Frank Tragically Passes Away At Age 49