A leaked trailer for The CW's canceled live-action Powerpuff Girls remake has emerged online, offering a glimpse of what might have been. First revealed in 2020, the series was designed to reimagine the classic cartoon as a gritty sequel where Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup become disillusioned young adults.
The project was canceled in 2023 after enduring significant creative hurdles.
The leaked clip showed up on YouTube for a short time before being immediately removed on account of copyright violations. Nevertheless, it still created a lot of buzz.
When we said the internet was buzzing, we didn’t mean it in a good way. The general reaction was less, “Oh no, I can’t believe this didn’t happen!” and more, “Thank God this never saw the light of day.”
Users were practically celebrating that it was deleted, buried, and erased from existence before it had the chance to traumatize audiences.
One user (@gabethetanker) commented:
"Wow the rumors didn't do justice on how bad it actually was."
This is the visual representation of the series of events that unfolded for a few users:
A user (@DT2ComicsChat) added:
"So....as it turns out..... this was even worse than we imagined it to be."
One netizen (@LUPASAN2) joked:
"I’m just gonna pretend this is a YouTube skit."
A user (@MRJbloodmage) commented:
"I’m really glad that this got canceled. This looks so bad! This looks really bad."
One comment (@TAYXKDOT) read:
"YouTube skits have better editing then whatever this is."
Yet another user (@SECRETNERDBASE1) said:
"We Dodged a bullet on this disasterpiece."
What was the live-action Powerpuff Girls about?
The CW released Powerpuff as a continuation series that built upon the original Powerpuff Girls animated television show. Viewers would have followed Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles as they matured into their 20s to confront their experiences as child heroes.
The leading players in this adaptation included Blossom, portrayed by Chloe Bennet, together with Bubbles, played by Dove Cameron, and Buttercup, portrayed by Yana Perrault, and Professor Utonium, brought to life by Donald Faison.
The production of the pilot finished in 2021 to face immediate opposition from studio authorities.
The CW requested a rewrite, but the project went nowhere after Chloe Bennet dropped out, and it was eventually canceled.
The trailer of the now-cancelled Powerpuff Girls
The leaked trailer made visible a very different interpretation of Powerpuff Girls than what is remembered by the fans. The narrative begins with the group unconsciously killing a human named Mojo, and they are required to escape Townsville.
When they return years later, Mojo's son, Jojo, has taken over as mayor of the town, brainwashing its residents and seeking revenge.
The tone is much darker than the original, and it includes:
Edgy humor (such as mentions of juggalos and an uncomfortably suggestive joke by Buttercup regarding Jojo).
Substance use, rebellion, and burnout themes.
A gritty look that is far from the bright world of the cartoon show.
The CW eventually canceled the series after the first pilot didn't impress. CW Chairman Mark Pedowitz acknowledged that the episode "missed" the mark, being too over-the-top and far-fetched from reality.
Pedowitz was quoted as saying by IGN:
"The reason you do pilots is because sometimes things miss, and this was just a miss... In this case the pilot didn’t work. But because we see there’s enough elements in there, we wanted to give it another shot. So that’s why we didn’t want to go forward with what we had."
Chloe Bennet's exit only further confirmed the show's failure, with it becoming evident that reviving Powerpuff Girls in live-action wasn't going to cut it.
What's next for Powerpuff Girls?
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While the live-action effort flopped and burned, The Powerpuff Girls isn't disappearing forever.
Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe is already producing an animated revival with the show's original creator, Craig McCracken, reports Polygon.
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