Casting Mighty Morphin Power Rangers In 2026: All 10 Main Roles

Published Aug 29, 2026, 2:30 PM EDT

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The Disney+ reboot may have been canceled, but the conversations it generated around casting a new Mighty Morphin Power Rangers show in 2026 haven’t ended. The franchise is still in a state of flux with no new Power Rangers series currently planned. Still, that hasn’t stopped the property’s legions of fans from suggesting picks to replace the original cast if Mighty Morphin Power Rangers were to return.

While it didn’t kick off the intended cinematic universe, the 2017 Power Rangers movie proved that recasting the original MMPR team would still work. Almost a decade later and over 30 years since MMPR made its debut, there are plenty of quality choices for new actors to play the OG Power Rangers in 2026, proving there’s plenty of opportunity and potential for a franchise whose future is more uncertain than ever.

Tanner Buchanan As Tommy Oliver/The Green Ranger

Replacing the legendary Jason David Frank would be the biggest challenge for a 2026 recast of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but many fans agree Cobra Kai star Tanner Buchanan would be a perfect choice for the Green Ranger. Tommy entered Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as an antagonist after Rita Repulsa turned him against the Rangers, only to become one of their most important allies. Buchanan already has experience playing characters who can project confidence while carrying plenty of emotional baggage.

His portrayal of Robby Keene in Cobra Kai required him to balance anger, insecurity, redemption, and impressive martial-arts choreography over multiple seasons. The physicality is obvious, but Tanner Buchanan's experience with Robbie’s complicated redemption arc makes him a natural fit for the Green Ranger suit. He could make Tommy's transformation from Rita's weapon into the team's eventual leader feel authentic, handling one of MMPR’s most complicated character arcs with ease.

Brandon Perea As Jason Lee Scott/The Red Ranger

Played in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by Austin St. John, Jason Lee Scott was the original Red Ranger and the first leader of the team. Anyone playing him in 2026 needs to come across as capable without becoming overly serious, while his position as the group's leader requires an actor who can convincingly establish authority while still being emotionally vulnerable. Of the potential new Mighty Morphin Power Rangers actors out there, The OA and Nope star Brandon Perea has the screen presence and physical background to make that combination work.

Perea's performance as Angel Torres in Nope is probably the strongest argument for the casting. Angel begins as an eccentric employee of a technology company but steps up to help uncover the mystery of the alien known as Jean Jacket despite the risk to his own safety. Perea gives Angel a mixture of humor, nerves, and determination, all qualities that would be perfect for Jason. What's more, his background in jamskating, dancing, and martial arts also lends itself incredibly well to Power Rangers.

McKenna Grace As Kimberly Hart/The Pink Ranger

Few members of the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers team have a more clearly defined personality than Amy Jo Johnson’s Kimberly Hart. The first Pink Ranger was athletic, confident, and outgoing, but MMPR also gave her plenty of nuance. A 2026 Power Rangers cast would need to find an actor capable of moving beyond the stereotypical Valley Girl characterization while retaining Kimberly's competitive streak and emotional warmth. Thankfully, McKenna Grace has already demonstrated that range.

McKenna Grace’s performances in movies like 2017’s Gifted and as Paige in Young Sheldon established her as a remarkably capable young dramatic actor, while her role as Phoebe in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire gave her experience carrying the legacy of a major franchise. Grace would therefore bring something valuable to Kimberly: the ability to play a seemingly confident teenager while allowing the character's vulnerabilities to remain visible. This, combined with her specific experience with supernatural and sci-fi properties, makes her a strong fit to play the Mighty Morphin Pink Ranger in 2026.

Aiden Gallagher As Billy Cranston/The Blue Ranger

Billy Cranston (David Yost) was the original Blue Ranger and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers team's resident genius. However, recasting Billy in 2026 would require more than simply finding someone who can deliver technical dialogue convincingly. The character works best when his intelligence is accompanied by awkwardness, curiosity, and genuine affection for his friends. Thankfully, Aiden Gallagher has already spent much of his career playing intellectual characters who are considerably more complicated than they first seem.

As Number Five in The Umbrella Academy, Gallagher played a time-traveling assassin trapped in a young body, requiring him to combine dry humor with genuine emotional vulnerability. That experience could translate surprisingly well to playing Billy. Gallagher's version could preserve Billy's intelligence while making him more socially complicated and self-assured as the story progresses. A 2026 version of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers with Aiden Gallagher could keep the Blue Ranger as the team's intellectual center without losing Billy's essential kindness and humble charm.

Miles Brown As Zack Taylor/The Black Ranger

Zack Taylor was the MMPR Black Ranger, and staying true to Walter Jones’ performance in the original run would require an actor who can bring plenty of high-energy charisma and creative confidence. Zack was essential to the dynamic that made the OG Mighty Morphin Power Rangers team so entertaining. It’s a role that’s far more important to cast correctly than it initially seems, and Black-ish star Miles Brown has already proved he’d be the perfect pick for 2026 recast of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers team.

Through playing Jack Johnson on Black-ish, Miles Brown has spent years demonstrating strong comedic timing that would be ideal for the new Zack Taylor. What’s more, his experience as a dancer and rapper makes him particularly well suited to Zack's defining talents. Brown’s Black-ish experience would be ideal for the Black Ranger's lighter moments, while his background in dance and hip-hop could make these aspects of Zack feel like genuine parts of his personality rather than traits added simply to reference the original series.

Anna Cathcart As Trini Kwan/The Yellow Ranger

Trini Kwan (Thuy Trang) was the original Yellow Ranger and one of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers team’s most grounded members. She was thoughtful, intelligent, and frequently served as an emotional bridge between the other Rangers. A modern version of Trini should retain those qualities while giving the character enough personality to stand independently from the rest of the Rangers. XO, Kitty star Anna Cathcart could bring exactly that balance.

Prior to leading the XO, Kitty cast in the titular role, Anna Cathcart rose to prominence in the To All the Boys movies, as Agent Olympia in Odd Squad, and playing Dizzy in the Disney Channel films Descendants 2 and Descendants 3. Those roles prove she's a performer who can comfortably mix comedy and youthful drama in a franchise-scale story, all of which would be essential for a 2026 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers reboot. Cathcart could make Trini approachable without making her passive, ensuring she was more than simply the de facto peacemaker for whenever the personalities of other team members clashed.

Giancarlo Esposito As Zordon

David J. Fielding did some incredible and iconic work as Zordon in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but there’s a perfect choice to follow in his footsteps if MMPR were recast in 2026. An enormous face trapped inside a time warp, Zordon served as the Rangers' mentor, commander, and connection to the wider mythology. A new Zordon actor would need to be able to deliver exposition and instruction to the Rangers with genuine dramatic weight, and Giancarlo Esposito feels tailor-made for that task.

His performances as Gus Fring in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, Stan Edgar in The Boys, and Moff Gideon in The Mandalorian all demonstrate why Giancarlo Esposito would be perfect as the new Zordon actor for a 2026 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers recast. He can make even a relatively restrained performance feel authoritative, which is precisely what Zordon needs. What’s more, rather than simply copying the mysterious mentor of the original series, Esposito could make Zordon more visibly burdened by the responsibility of sending teenagers into battle.

Aubrey Plaza As Rita Repulsa

Image via Disney+

Rita Repulsa was originally portrayed through Japanese Super Sentai footage by Machiko Soga, with Barbara Goodson providing the English voice in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The Rangers’ first foe became one of TV’s most recognizable villains, combining theatrical menace with increasingly ridiculous schemes. A 2026 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers recast would need an actor capable of embracing Rita's heightened personality without turning her into a generic superhero antagonist. Of all the options out there, Aubrey Plaza is an obvious and surprisingly versatile choice.

Plaza’s turn as Death in Agatha All Along makes it immediately obvious why she’d work as Rita Repulsa in a new Power Rangers 2026 cast. However, characters like April Ludgate in Parks and Recreation, Lenny Busker in Legion, and Cat Adams in Criminal Minds also demonstrate her ability to balance characters with something genuinely menacing about them hidden beneath a comedic streak. Plaza could preserve Rita's absurdity while making her genuinely threatening, perhaps better than any other actor currently working.

Aedin Mincks As Bulk

Farkas "Bulk" Bulkmeier was one half of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' original comic-relief duo alongside Skull. Played by Paul Schrier, Bulk was usually the louder and more confident of the pair, regularly dragging his reluctant best friend into schemes that went wrong. Schrier's performance made Bulk far more than a simple bully, and the importance of his comedic timing to the appeal of the show can’t be overstated. However, he’s a character that also evolved as Power Rangers went on. Actor Aedin Mincks could perfectly capture Schrier’s energy while also elevating Bulk to something beyond comic relief.

Aedin Mincks got his big break playing Angus Chestnut in the Disney Channel sitcom A.N.T. Farm. However, it’s his recurring role as Mitch in Cobra Kai that lends itself best to playing Bulk in a 2026 version of Power Rangers. Through playing Mitch, Mincks already has experience with a franchise built around teenage martial-arts characters and a heightened sense of comedy. His Bulk could begin as an irritating classmate but gradually become a surprisingly sympathetic presence in Angel Grove, preserving his place in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers without simply recreating Schrier's performance.

Jack Dylan Grazer As Skull

Bulk's best friend, Jason Narvy’s Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch, was the more anxious half of MMPR’s comic relief pair. While Bulk tended to initiate their schemes, Skull usually followed along, producing much of the pair's physical comedy. Narvy's performance became an important part of the original show's identity, particularly because Bulk and Skull remained involved with the franchise well beyond the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers era. For a 2026 MMPR recast, IT and Shazam! star Jack Dylan Grazer is a great choice to bring the chaotic comic timing necessary to make Skull work.

Grazer’s performances as Eddie Kaspbrak in IT and IT Chapter Two demonstrated his ability to play an anxious character without reducing him to a one-note joke, while Freddy Freeman in Shazam! showed he understands how to bring comedy to a superhero story. That combination makes Grazer a strong fit for Skull. He could play the character as genuinely insecure and desperate to impress Bulk, allowing the comic moments to emerge from his reactions rather than simply making him the butt of every joke. Paired with Aedin Mincks, Grazer could recreate the essential Bulk and Skull dynamic while giving the duo enough personality to justify the pair’s place in a 2026 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series.