There have been a number of Power Rangers pitches that never quite made it to the screen.
We’ve got the details on three of them.
The world of television is a crazy place.
For every idea that eventually makes it to screen, a hundred more are left unused.
Power Rangersis no exception to this.
Today well be discussing three such ideas from Amit Bhaumik.
He wrote the fan favorites Reinforcements from the Future and Forever Red.
When Saban bought back the franchise from Disney he also wrote forPower Rangers Samurai.
Its certainly an ambitious idea.
The main conflict of the season would be derived from a Which side are you on?
between the three Hexagon Rangers and the three Beetle Rangers (featuring a US exclusive female ranger).
Could It Have Worked?
Fans often bemoan this season was never made.
I myself was always intrigued by what little I had heard of it over the years.
Now, as Bhaumik admits, this was a very early rough draft.
Over time certain elements may been removed or changed to accomdate the budget or new creative visions.
As is though, its intriguing from a hardcorePower Rangersfan perspective.
How could it not be?
Its obsessed with clearing up thePower Rangerscontinuity and answering long term questions.
Some of it feels a little too much like checking boxes and I question a few of the ideas.
Maybe he was just wearing a duster in his firstZeoappearance because he was in the desert.
SomePower Rangersfans point to this pitch as whatPower Rangersshould strive for.
Continuity all the time and always bringing back new characters.
Its still a fun idea though, one that would be perfect for a Boom!
Amit was contacted and created this outline for his ideas on howSamurai Sentai Shinkengercould be adapted.
The forces of evil recruit Keiji after they learn hes a descendant of their clan.
Eugene eventually becomes the Gold Samurai Ranger after some initial reservations from the team.
Taking his place would be Alison, his distant cousin.
Mark and Keiji would have their final duel and choose brotherhood/humanity over feud.
Without a doubt,SamuraiandSuper Samuraiwere some of the weakest seasons the franchise has ever seen.
Sloppily translated versions ofSamurai Sentai Shinkenger, the Rangers barely act like people and instead engage in non-stop training.
Who talks like that?
The season, much likeNinja Storm, tried to once again captureMighty Morphin Power Rangersmagic.
Much likeNinja Stormthough, they were stuck doing a season about samurais.
The rest of the plot was more or less copied directly fromShinkengerand a lot was lost in the translation.
She briefly takes over the team but Jayden ends up saving the day.
They barely interacted with the team and seemed to be confined to their own show.
While the season still borrows elements fromShinkenger, they at least makemore sense in this context.
That, and hedging closer to theSentaiplotline would make the other producers happy.
The conflict between Mark and Keiji especially holds a lot of dramatic potential.
The characters overall all seem to be more fleshed out and have meaningful interactions with each other.
On top of that, Bulk and Eugene actually seem to be relevant!
This pitch offers insight into a more engaging version of what we later got inSamurai.
Im a fan of it.
Its a shame we didnt get something closer to this.
Throughout the season gold and silver rangers would be added to the line up before a crossover withRPM.
Stealing technology from Cyber Command, Omni is able to reestablish contact with Venjix.
This is Mayas village fromLost Galaxyand shes become the chief.
Omni merges with Venjix and the final battle is on.
He injects them with the Anti-Virus, purging Venjix from himself and repairing reality.
The Rangers are restored but Omni dies.
Johnny, mourning his friend, rides off into the sunset.Read the full pitch here.
While the season hasnt aired yet we do have a brief summary for it.
Welp, they both have computer virus and references to the Morphin Grid!
Well see what similarties Amits pitch has toBeast Morpherswhen it airs.
Many of the same problems that plagued theHexagonpitch are present here.
Plus he sawGo-Bustersas a chance to repair the neglected continuity of the franchise into one continuous universe again.
Despite those issues, elements of this pitch are incredibly strong.
The characters are very tied into the universe ofPower Rangersbut it doesnt define them.
Thats deeper than almost all of the characters combined from the last few years of the show!
They would have been great to see.
read more: Power Rangers: The Unproduced Episodes
LikeHexagon, I dont agree with all of Bhaumiks decisions.
However, why not use Stantons daughter that wed already seen?
It really undercuts Ks story and the emotional resonance of the episode.
I enjoy continuity but not at the expense of characters.
Of course theres the big retcon of setting all the Disney seasons (along withSamuraiandMegaforce) in Dimension X. I like it a lot more.
Whatever flaws Bhaumiks pitches have I admire his ambition.
That or getting things flat out wrong.
The comics have shown they understand that and Amit Bhaumik was way ahead of them.
Give him a call.
He might have some great ideas for you.
