Disney+ Power Rangers Off
Disney+ Cancels Live-Action Power Rangers Project Over Budgetary Concerns and Hasbro IP Ownership
Key Points
Jenny Klein joined Hasbro's Power Rangers project as showrunner in November 2021, with Klein later tied to a two-year overall deal to develop genre and drama content for Hasbro. This early staffing choice illustrates Hasbro's active creative direction for the property independent of Disney.
Entertainment One acquired the Power Rangers rights from Saban Brands in 2018, a background detail that helps explain the IP ownership dynamics complicating Disney's ability to fund a high-end live-action series.
Disney+ has been broadening its slate to outside IP and has recently pursued development deals for non-Disney-owned properties such as Ella Enchanted and Casper, signaling a strategic shift that can affect non-owned IP feasibility.
The Power Rangers live-action project was set up at Disney+ with 20th Century Television as the studio, indicating the specific production and distribution structure involved in the development process.
Steinberg and Shotz publicly confirmed the reports about the project in December 2025 at a Percy Jackson and the Olympians red-carpet premiere, highlighting the timeline of involvement before the decision not to move forward.
Disney+ has killed its live-action Power Rangers series before it ever got off the ground. Variety reported that the project, written and executive produced by Percy Jackson and the Olympians showrunners Jonathan E. Steinberg and Dan Shotz, will not move forward at the streaming service.
The reason is straightforward: Disney does not own Power Rangers. The IP belongs to Hasbro, and the economics of building a high-end live-action series around someone else's property proved too difficult to justify, according to Comic Book.
Why Disney Passed on a Property It Doesn't Own
Power Rangers is Hasbro's intellectual property, not Disney's. That single fact drove the decision. Comic Basics noted that Disney+ has been willing to develop outside IP, but the cost of producing a premium live-action series around a property it cannot fully control or monetize made the math difficult.
The series was set up at 20th Century Television as the studio, with Disney+ as the intended home. But owning neither the IP nor its long-term licensing future left Disney with limited upside. Reports consistently describe the decision as a business call, not a creative one. The show's concept was never the problem.
Power Rangers Has Now Been Passed Over Twice
This is the second time a major streaming platform has walked away from a live-action Power Rangers revival. Netflix previously pursued the idea and also did not move forward. MEAWW noted that Hasbro has been actively seeking a high-end adaptation for the franchise for years, with little success finding the right home.
Hasbro acquired the Power Rangers rights when Entertainment One bought them from Saban Brands in 2018. In November 2021, Jenny Klein was brought on as showrunner under a two-year overall deal with Hasbro to develop genre and drama content. That early investment showed Hasbro's serious intent — but a green light has never followed.
Steinberg and Shotz Confirm the News at Red Carpet
Steinberg and Shotz confirmed the reports themselves in December 2025. They spoke at a red-carpet premiere for Percy Jackson and the Olympians, publicly acknowledging that the Power Rangers project would not move forward at Disney+. The timing put a firm date on the end of the collaboration.
The two showrunners remain busy. They are currently wrapping Season 3 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians for Disney+ and are developing additional projects under their overall deal at 20th Television, according to Comic Book.
Disney+ Opens Slate to Outside IP, With Limits
Disney+ has been quietly expanding beyond its own library. The service has recently pursued development deals for non-Disney properties including Ella Enchanted and Casper. That shift signals a strategic openness to outside IP — but Power Rangers shows there are still hard limits, especially when budgets are high and ownership is elsewhere.
For now, Power Rangers has no streaming home. Hasbro still owns a valuable franchise with a decades-long fan base and a track record in both TV and film. But turning that into a premium live-action series has proven easier to plan than to fund, according to MEAWW.
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