The gritty Power/Rangers short film viewed by millions earlier this week is back on YouTube and Vimeo. According to Deadline, the film’s creators have struck a deal with Saban, which owns the rights to Power Rangers, and are now free to put their short anywhere online. The YouTube and Vimeo versions now come with extensive disclaimers noting that they present a fan film, were made without any affiliation from Saban, and claim no rights to the characters. YouTube is now hosting a cleaner version of the video, while the original “NSFW” version is being hosted on Vimeo.
Power Rangers short makers cut deal to put film back online
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"Internet changes things."
“Hey internet, YOU WON,” Power/Rangers director Joseph Kahn writes on Twitter. “Saban has kindly and generously agreed to let us show POWER/RANGERS!”
THANK YOU to everyone who fought for free speech. You made a difference. Your voice was heard. Kind of nuts, right?
— Joseph Kahn (@JosephKahn) February 28, 2015 Kahn tells Deadline that Saban wanted the disclaimers present so that kids wouldn’t confuse his “super-violent film” with the decidedly friendlier Power Rangers show that they’re used to. The short, produced by Adi Shankar and starring James Van Der Beek and Katee Sackhoff, went online late Monday and was viewed by around 12 million people on YouTube before being pulled on Thursday in response to a copyright notice from Saban. The Vimeo version was pulled even sooner. The film was also hosted on Facebook — apparently the only platform that it never managed to get pulled from. It remains there without disclaimers.
“Internet changes things,” Kahn writes. “New world, new rules.”
Youtube version POWER/RANGERS back up now. YOU FUCKING GUYS FUCKING DID IT: https://t.co/EOj9P9f3pB
— Joseph Kahn (@JosephKahn) February 28, 2015 Follow topics and authors from this story to see more like this in your personalized homepage feed and to receive email updates.
