The Power/Rangers “fan film” was reposted to the Internet late Friday after it was removed due to possible infringement.
A film short re-imagines the campy but popular 1990s television show as violent, which prompted Saban Entertainment to remove the film from the Internet despite racking up over 11 million views in two days, reports CNN
After lawyers reached an agreement, the film returned to the Internet with a disclaimer from the short’s writer Adi Shankar saying the film is “not for profit” and is an “experiment.’
The original Power Rangers series was about teens selected to save the world from evil; each wore a different colored jumpsuit with a helmet depicting a prehistoric or ice age animal.
The 30-year-old Shankar says he started telling people dark Power Rangers stories when he was 7 years old, “before the Internet, and my access to TV.”
The film short, directed by Shankar’s friend renowned music video/film director Joseph Kahn, was a chance for him to “experiment with pop culture.”
The casting of Shankar’s best friend 1990s heartthrob James Van Der Beek as an evil former Power Ranger is also experimenting with pop culture, which explains why Power/Rangers went viral.