Bad news for anyone who dressed up as the pink Power Ranger for Halloween thirty years ago: Amy Jo Johnson, the original Pink Ranger, will not be included in the upcoming Power Rangers reunion special, Power Rangers: Once and Always. Recently, she shared her thoughts regarding her decision not to participate in the upcoming Netflix special.
Johnson made her statement in a tweet on Sunday, addressing rumors that her reason for not participating in the upcoming special was due to a pay dispute. In her tweet Johnson said, “[p]lease stop saying I didn’t do the reunion because of money.” She continued, saying that the rumors were “…simply not true. Maybe I just didn’t want to wear spandex in my 50s or couldn’t go to [New Zealand for a month. Or none of your beeswax.” Collider originally reported the news of Johnson’s absence from the upcoming special in January.
In her statement, Johnson also claimed that Jason David Frank, the original Green Ranger also chose to not participate in the upcoming special. The actor unexpectedly passed away in 2022 at the age of 49, which many assumed was the reason for his absense, but as Johnson points out, the special was filmed before his death.The upcoming special is also said to pay tribute to Thuy Trang, who played the Yellow Ranger; Trang sadly passed away in 2001.
The Reunion Special Will Still Feature Many Familiar Faces
However, much of the original cast will be returning for the project. David Yost will be retuning to the project as Billy Cranston, the Blue Ranger along with Walter E. Jones, who returns as the Black Ranger. Steve Cardenas and Catherine Sutherland will take on their respective roles as Red Ranger II and Pink Ranger II. Johnny Yong Bosch, will play the second Black Ranger, and Karan Ashley, who played the second Yellow Ranger, will also be returning for the project. The new special will certainly show off some of the best Power Rangers in the franchise.
The upcoming special will also bring back one of the series most infamous villains, Rita Repulsa, who intends to travel back in time through a time portal to stop the gang from ever becoming Power Rangers. The team must then come together and make a plan to stop her. Previously, Collider reported on Rita Repulsa’s return to the franchise. The reunion special will be directed by Charlie Haskell, who previously directed episodes for the series. The special will premiere on Netflix on April 19, 2023. You can watch the trailer for the special below.
