Pink Ranger Amy Jo Johnson will not be appearing in the Power Rangers’ 30th anniversary reunion, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always. The actress, who played Kimberly Hart in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, declined to join the Netflix special which will see other Power Rangers reunite, including the original Black and Blue Rangers, Walter Emanuel Jones and David Yost.
Posting to her official Twitter account, Johnson revealed she would not be in the reunion special set to air in April. “For the record I never said no. I just didn’t say yes to what was offered,” Johnson tweeted. The actress and director, who credits the beginning of her acting career to starring as the original Pink Ranger, went on to hint that she has other projects in the works. “But other fun stuff is in store!” She also tweeted her support for the anniversary special, adding, “Looking forward to watching my friends kick ass!”
Despite Johnson’s absence, fans will see the return of several familiar Power Rangers. The special will feature the reunion between Yost, who played the original Blue Ranger, Billy Cranston, and Jones, who played the original Black Ranger, Zack Taylor, in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1993). “It was such a surreal experience to be on the set of Power Rangers again after 28 years,” Yost said about filming the special. Yost and Jones will also be joined by second-generation rangers, including Red Ranger Rocky DeSantos (Steve Cardenas), Pink Ranger Kat (Catherine Sunderland), Yellow Ranger Aisha Campbell (Karan Ashley), and Black Ranger Adam Park (Johnny Yong Bosch). Furthermore, the Rangers will be joined by two voice actors, Barbara Goodson (who voiced villain Rita Repulsa) and Richard Horvitz (the voice of Alpha 5, the robot sidekick.)
In addition to returning cast mates, the Netflix anniversary special will also feature a new character set to help the Rangers battle a familiar foe. Charlie Kersh will star as Minh Kwan, the original Yellow Ranger’s daughter. Trini Kwan was portrayed by the late Thuy Trang, who tragically passed away in 2001. The 30th Anniversary special, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always, will premiere on Netflix on April 19 as a stand-alone special. Images from the special have recently been released, promising fans a revisit to familiar Power Rangers’ items, including the team’s morphers, the RADBUG (a flying car used for transportation to the Command Center), and, of course, the Power Rangers’ iconic suits.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which premiered in 1993, spurred several seasons, movies, and a reboot. Based on the Japanese series Super Sentai (Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger, 1993), the series saw multiple teams play the role of the Rangers with different styles of suits and weapons introduced. Concluding in 1998 with Power Rangers in Space, the series also saw several movies created, including Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie (1995), Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie (1997), and the modern reboot, Power Rangers (2017) which starred Dacre Montgomery (as Jason Scott, the Red Ranger and team leader), Naomi Scott (Kimberly Hart, Pink Ranger), RJ Cyler (Billy Cranston, Blue Ranger), Becky G (Trini Kwan, Yellow Ranger), and Ludi Lin (Zack Taylor, Black Ranger).
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once & Always premieres April 19 on Netflix. In the meantime, check out the official trailer and cast interviews below: