In a recent interview, two Mighty Morphin Power Rangers actors discussed their involvement with the Netflix special Once & Always and their dedication to getting things right. Once & Always served as a celebration of the franchise’s 30th anniversary, and dealt with the loss of a Power Ranger and introduction of a new team member. A large amount of cast members from the original series returned in the special to reprise their roles and help with its production, including Walter Emanuel Jones, David Yost, Steve Cardenas, Catherine Sutherland, Johnny Yong Bosch, Karan Ashley, Amy Jo Johnson, and Austin St. John.
Screen Rant recently talked with stars David Yost & Walter Emanuel Jones about Once & Always. During the discussion, the two spoke about the legacy of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, reprising their roles, and helping on the creative side of things to ensure the special lived up to fan expectations. Check out the full quote below:
Screen Rant: Simon Bennett was the executive producer on Once & Always. Did you guys get a chance to talk to him and collaborate with him at all? If so, what do you think he brings to the franchise that wasn’t there before?
David Yost: Well, we certainly collaborated with him and the entire writing team and the production team over there. Because in a lot of ways, they were counting on Walter and I to sort of fill in some gaps because we were there. I would often be like, “No, you can’t do that. It’s got to be like this.”
I think they got frustrated with me a few times because I was pretty adamant about what we could and could not do. For the whole proxy coin thing, I really had to say, “You guys, you’ve got to explain this. We have to figure out a way to explain why this is happening.”
Simon was a good guy. He started off obviously as a director of a few seasons, many seasons of Power Rangers, and has stepped into the executive producer role. He gets it, and he brings where the Power Ranger franchise is now, and we bring where we were back then. We melded our two systems together in the best way possible. He was certainly a crucial element, and obviously a huge help to all of us for this special.
How Input From Series Veterans Helped Power Rangers: Once & Always
Considering his long-time involvement with the franchise, Simon Bennett could’ve potentially handled all Once & Always‘ creative decisions himself, but it’s much better that he also incorporated input from the actors. While Bennett is no doubt very knowledgeable about series lore and its characters, the actors themselves are arguably the most acquainted with what happened to the Rangers between the original series and the Netflix special. They have a different relationship to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and can therefore approach things from a different angle, which worked to the fans’ benefit.
As Yost said, the result of this collaboration melded the perspectives of past and present Power Rangers in the best way. One of the best things about Once & Always is how it manages to incorporate a new, more adult tone while still feeling like the same franchise at its core. This hybridization wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of both cast and behind-the-scenes creatives, and it’s clear Yost and Jones were fiercely dedicated to getting things right with the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers revival.
