New Rumor Compares Matt Damon’s Next Sci-fi Movie to the Best ’90s TV Show (And It May Have Killed a Reboot)
After headlining Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, Matt Damon has his sights set on another ambitious project from Oscar-winning directors. He’s in line to star in the mysterious new genre event film from filmmakers Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the duo known as The Daniels who received widespread acclaim and numerous accolades for their multiversal tale Everything Everywhere All at Once. Their next film is set for release in November 2027, but plot details are being kept under wraps for the time being. Damon previously described the concept as “Breakfast Club meets Inception,” and now the latest intriguing rumors shed some more light on the concept.
In the latest edition of his newsletter, industry insider Jeff Sneider addressed the recent news of Disney+ cancelling a live-action Power Rangers series. Sneider speculated that Power Rangers being scrapped might have had something to do with The Daniels’ next film, which he said is “basically a Power Rangers movie … without the name.” According to Sneider, the film “follows a young cast in color-coded costumes who team up to fight kaiju with the help of a superhero-esque character played by Damon, who has a Jarvis-like AI assistant played (not just voiced) by [Sandra] Oh.” Sneider makes a point to mention that this movie “has no official connection to Power Rangers” but comparisons will definitely be made.
Did The Daniels’ New Movie Kill the Power Rangers TV Show?
Reportedly, Disney’s decision to cancel Power Rangers was motivated by budgetary concerns. Production costs combined with the fact that Disney doesn’t own the IP made Power Rangers a risky proposition for studio executives, and they evidently felt the investment wasn’t worth it. After launching a plethora of new streaming series during the first half of the decade, Disney has implemented a rather significant shift in its output strategy, scaling back on live-action TV. The Mouse House just pulled the plug on acclaimed Marvel series Wonder Man, and there are only a few new live-action Marvel and Star Wars series on the docket. Feature films seem to be taking more of a priority these days.
Disney’s changes on the streaming front likely played a significant role in determining Power Rangers‘ fate. If the series was being developed a handful of years ago, the odds of the studio moving forward with it would have been greater, as the higher-ups would have seen it as an opportunity to make a splash in the competitive streaming wars (without relying solely on their popular subsidiaries like Marvel and Lucasfilm). Reports of the Power Rangers cancellation downplayed any creative issues behind the scenes, but there’s always a chance studio executives caught word of what The Daniels have in store and decided Power Rangers was no longer worth it. The Daniels’ film will be released next year; Power Rangers almost certainly would have arrived after that, opening itself up for comparisons. This is a strange situation where Power Rangers came first and is influencing The Daniels, but Disney’s live-action Power Rangers could have been perceived as copying The Daniels.
While we wait to see if Disney provides further explanation for the Power Rangers decision, the description of The Daniels’ next film paints an exciting picture of what sci-fi fans have to look forward to. As Everything Everywhere All at Once illustrates, The Daniels have a knack for crafting creative stories that blend outrageous concepts with powerful human emotions, allowing their work to resonate with viewers. From the sound of things, their new film is going to ground things in the dynamic between the young heroes; Damon’s Breakfast Club comp implies the group will have to set aside their personal differences to overcome a common obstacle. The friendships that form between them should be an integral component of the narrative. It’ll also be interesting to see what kinds of monsters the characters find themselves up against. Ideally, The Daniels will get extremely creative with creature design.
It’s also clear why The Daniels were keen on getting an established A-list star for the veteran hero role (who will likely be a mentor to the youngsters). Damon replaced Ryan Gosling, who had to leave the project over scheduling conflicts, so casting a bona fide movie star was always the plan. It sounds like this movie is going to throw a lot at the audience and it probably isn’t going to be cheap to make. Relying solely on a cast of unknowns isn’t the best recipe for box office success. Putting a recognizable face on the poster and building a marketing campaign around someone like Damon could go a long way in selling moviegoers on the idea — much like how Gosling was a selling point for Project Hail Mary earlier this year.
