Thirty years after becoming pop culture icons, the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are coming back. According to Entertainment Weekly, the show’s original cast members are reuniting for a Netflix special that will celebrate the enduring legacy of Haim Saban’s (Around the World in Eighty Dreams) creation.
The two cast members who are most excited about their return are David Yost (Ladykiller, Degenerate) who played the original Blue Ranger Billy, and Walter Emanuel Jones (Memoirs of a Fighter, Boomerang) who starred as Zack the original Black Ranger. Yost is, at the moment, the longest-running original Ranger after starring in the series for four seasons and more than 200 episodes. Yost has also commented on getting to suit up again with Jones with whom he auditioned, and how they helped launch the Power Rangers franchise together. Yost has also called his return to the set of Power Rangers after twenty-eight years a “surreal experience.”
According to Entertainment Weekly, the special will feature the Rangers confronting a familiar threat from the past. During a global crisis, the Power Rangers are called to be the heroes of the world once again. The special was inspired by the legendary mantra from the franchise “Once a Ranger, Always a Ranger.” The special will remind everyone that when you become a Ranger, you are always a part of the Ranger family and will always be welcomed.
The special is titled Mighty Morphin Power Ranger: Once & Always and apart from Yost and Jones, other original cast members returning for the special are Catherine Sutherland (The Cell, Class Dismissed), who starred as Kat, the second Pink Ranger; Steve Cardenas (Beast of the Water, Liquid Metal) who played Rocky, the second Red Ranger; Karan Ashley (Class Dismissed, The Parkers) as Aisha, the second Yellow Ranger; and Johnny Yong Bosch (Bleach, Trigun Stampede) who is reprising his role as Adam, the second Black Ranger.
According to EW, the special will also feature Barbara Goodson (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, High Guardian Spice) who voiced Rita Repulsa; Richard Horvitz (The Loud House, Ben 10) who voices Alpha 5; and Charlie Kersh (Happyish, Clique Wars) will star as Minh, the daughter of the original Yellow Ranger Trini, who was played by the late Thuy Trang (The Crow: City of Angels, Spy Hard). There is still no confirmation if other original cast members are involved in the special or if Once & Always will have tribute to the late Jason David Frank (Family Matters, We Bare Bears), who played the original Green Ranger Tommy.
The Power Ranger franchise usually follows a group of young adults that ‘morph’ into the Power Rangers, a group of individuals that help defend the Earth from monsters and aliens that threaten it. Usually, towards the end of the episode, the villain will turn into a giant and the Power Rangers will use their special vehicles to create a giant robot to fight against the threat.
Mighty Morphin Power Ranger: Once & Always will premiere on April 19 on Netflix. The original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are available to watch on Netflix.