Ross founded the UK Anime Network back in 1995, and following Andy Hanley's retirement has returned to the post of Editor-in-Chief in 2017. What an old man!
US toy company Hasbro has acquired the Power Rangers property from Saban Brands.
The original Power Rangers TV series spliced together US content with Japanese Super Sentai series Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger from Toei Company. The show found tremendous success in 1993 and has since spawned 20 television series and 3 feature films (1995, 1997 and 2017). Despite being owned by Disney for 7 years, the creator of the concept, Haim Saban, bought back the rights to the property in 2010.
The deal with Hasbro is reportedly worth $520 million dollars.
Hasbro is no stranger to re-imagined Japanese properties, having created the Transformers brand in 1984 and also releasing feature films to incredible success (if not always critical acclaim) and has ties with IDW comics, where future comic adventures may now take place.
From the press release:
“25 years after launching Power Rangers, I believe the future for this brand has never been greater,” said Haim Saban, founder of Saban Brands and creator of Power Rangers. “Hasbro’s leadership in innovation, storytelling and brand stewardship make it the perfect company to further develop the global reach and appeal of the Power Rangers property. I look forward to working with Brian and the team in the years to come.”
