By Albert Valentin | Published August 30, 2010

Big news came this past Spring as Haim Saban, the man behind the empire of the Power Rangers, had bought back the franchise after selling it to Disney in 2001. With Saban returning to take over the franchise, he made two blockbuster announcements involving the Power Rangers.

The Power Rangers, which are now a part of Saban Brands, have struck a deal with the Nickelodeon network. Nickelodeon is currently home to the likes of SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, iCARLY, and other pre-teen to teen sitcoms and cartoons. In October 2010, the NickToons network will begin to air all 700 episodes of the Power Rangers series, beginning with the original series, MIGHTY MORPHIN’ POWER RANGERS. The original series focused on five teenagers who are chosen by a mystical being named Zordon to protect Earth from an evil witch named Rita Repulsa. The teens are given “morphers” and calling out their dinosaur name become the Power Rangers.

The original series was adapted from the 1992 Super Sentai Series KYORYU SENTAI ZYURANGER. Soon, Saban, and later Disney in 2001, began adapting further Power Rangers series based off the Super Sentai Series of the previous year. In 2009, Disney released the final Power Rangers series, POWER RANGERS RPM.

However, Saban made the announcement that there will be a new Power Rangers series to debut in the Spring of 2011. The series will be adapted from the 2009 Super Sentai Series, SAMURAI SENTAI SHINKENGER. The official cast of the new series was announced a few weeks ago. Newcomers Alex Heartman, Najee-De-Tiege, Hector David Jr., Erika Fong, Brittany Pirtle, and Steven Skyler will play the new Power Rangers, which may possibly have the title POWER RANGERS SAMURAI. However, there is no confirmation as to the official title.

With Saban back at the helm of the Power Rangers empire, there is hope for the superhero team series. This comes when Saban himself felt that Disney mismanaged the Power Rangers legacy, stating, “We thought we can do more with the property than Disney did, that’s what it boils down to.” This quote was in an interview with the Wall Street Journal after Saban’s official announcement of buying back the franchise.

Look for the original 18-season Power Rangers on NickToons in October with the new Power Rangers series this Spring on Nickelodeon.