Even with no sign of name for this season, a lot has happened in the past few weeks and I’m sorry I haven’t been around for it all. Now that the Comic-con over with, we now know a lot more information of what go down with PR on Nick. First, after coming to the Comic-con with suit actors posing as the classic Mighty Morphin team, Nickelodeon passed out DVDs with Day of the Dumpster, non-reversioned, revealing it will be October that the classic episodes will arrive on Nicktoons.
After the close of Comic-con, a company called Marvista Entertainment revealed that it made a deal with Saban Brands for the international rights of PR and will represent the PR at the MIPCOM Entertainment in Cannes, France this October. Through this lovely promotional vid, Marvista also revealed that PR will air on Nicktoons twice a week on weekdays and premiere the new season on Saturdays and Sundays on Nickelodeon proper. That also goes with the Re-versioned’s departure after Labor Day. We’ll probably go nuts in September until the name’s revealed.
As for casting situation, the final callbacks were this week. The casting of the season has never been as translucent ever. Hell, I remember the old Disney days, looking through every New Zealand acting and modeling site just to get one role. (I think I got lucky with either Ria Vanderis [Miratrix, PROO] or James MacLurcan [Mack/Red, PROO]. I’m not sure). But, there has been potential trouble in the form of the new contracts which lock up talent for two years (unknown reason but presumably for plans for a team-up and specials) and pay significantly less than the original $1000 USD per plus 10% agent’s fees. It now $700 NZD (around $507.15 USD) with no agents fees.
Some of the casting is being done in New Zealand, some of which was done before the LA auditions. Saban is known for his penny-pinching ways, which includes the horror stories by past cast members of working 10-12 hr. days with 1-2 days break. Also, PR has been non-union with the Screen Actors Guild since 2002. There have been reports of agents telling their clients to go FiCor(e) or Financial Core status within SAG, which gives them the status of “fee paying non-member”, allowing them to do non-union projects and have regular SAG benefits when working union projects but losing their voting rights, workshop and ceremony invitations and their to right list as SAG on resume and databases. Its a big shock for one to take.
On one hand, you have the actor’s rights to think about. On the other hand, Saban Brands has just recently gotten back into production of Power Rangers after seven years with a risky but systematic plan to get it back into the limelight.
I guess at this point we can hope for best the both actors and the company as they begin the plan for a new era in PR history. Perhaps after success benefits could increase.
