The CW announced plans for Powerpuff in 2020. Understandably, fans of Cartoon Network's The Powerpuff Girls were in equal parts excited and filled with trepidation about a live-action sequel.
The network's approach to the material raised eyebrows from the start, largely because each member of the iconic trio was set to be portrayed by, and as, adults. Still, Diablo Cody and Heather Regnie's role in developing the project felt like a step in the right direction, as did the fact Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. alum Chloe Bennet was tapped to play Blossom.
Dove Cameron was chosen as Bubbles, with Yana Perrault picked to bring Buttercup to life on screen. Scrubs alum Donald Faison, meanwhile, was cast as Professor Utonium.
After being shot, the pilot was revealed to have fallen flat, with The CW's former Chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz admitting the whole thing was a "miss." The idea had been to go back to the drawing board and reshoot the episode, but it fell apart post-pandemic and the series was ultimately scrapped.
We got a first-look image and set photos in 2021 but the trailer for Powerpuff has now leaked online. It's over three and a half minutes long and establishes what's become of the Powerpuff Girls and how the animated franchise was set to be grounded in reality.
The whole thing looks cheesy, not particularly well-acted, and is full of those far from convincing special effects we grew used to seeing on The CW. The less said about Mojo Jojo, the better.
The lead trio appear to have been perfectly cast for the most part, though it's easy to see why the network passed on the series.
"The Powerpuff Girls used to be America’s pint-sized superheroes, now they’re disillusioned twentysomethings who resent having lost their childhood to crime-fighting," read the synopsis for the now-scrapped series, confirming it was to be a far cry from the animated series fans know and love. "Will they agree to reunite now that the world needs them more than ever?"
In 2023, The Powerpuff Girls creator Craig McCracken says he warned The CW that they were taking his beloved characters in the wrong direction.
"I had one meeting with them and I told them, 'When you turn them into adults, they’re no longer the Powerpuff Girls because if they’re adults, that’s just three super girls who don’t have to deal with being kids,'" he recalled. "That’s a completely different show."
You can check out the leaked Powerpuff trailer below.