Arne Olsen, a screenwriter who penned the fan favorite Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, has passed away.
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The 64-year-old died on Saturday in Vancouver, Canada, from complications related to cancer. His wife, Dianne Olsen, announced his death to Deadline.
Born in Vancouver, Olsen moved to Los Angeles at 21 to pursue screenwriting after graduating from the American Film Institute. According to IMDb, he made his film debut as a co-writer on the 1988 action film Red Scorpion, starring Dolph Lundgren.
His next project was a spec script for Cop and a Half (sometimes styled as Cop & 1/2). The film was produced by Imagine Entertainment and released by Universal. Directed by Henry Winkler, the comedy starred Burt Reynolds alongside young actor Norman D. Golden II as a detective who partners with an eight-year-old murder witness to solve a crime.
Olsen’s later credits include Red Scorpion 2 (1994), All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 (1996) and the 1997 TV movie Escape from Atlantis. He also penned the 2007 horror film Hybrid, which served as an early screen credit for a pre-Glee Cory Monteith.
Arne Olsen Penned Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie at the Peak of Mighty Morphin Mania
However, his most high-profile screen credit came during the height of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers mania. Olsen penned the 1995 blockbuster Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, which premiered between the second and third seasons of the popular TV series.
1- Arne Olsen, a screenwriter whose credits include 1995’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie & the 1993 comedy Cop and a Half directed by Henry Winkler & starring Burt Reynolds, died from complications related to cancer Saturday, April 4, in Vancouver, Canada. He was 64. pic.twitter.com/wOvbqz8vPG
— Howard Prince (@Howodd69) April 8, 2026
In 2000, Olsen wrote and directed the Canadian dramedy Here’s to Life!, which starred Eric McCormack of Will & Grace fame. The film earned eight Genie Award nominations, including nods for actors James Whitmore and Kim Hunter, and won for its original score.
Olsen’s most recent screenwriting credit was the 2018 film Distorted, starring John Cusack and Christina Ricci.
In addition to his screenwriting, Olsen mentored many young writers through his work as an instructor at Capilano University and the Vancouver Film School. He also served as a story editor on dozens of feature films.
He is survived by his wife and two children, Ryan and Alyssa.