"Leaked Trailer Reveals Canceled Powerpuff Girls Live-Action Series"

Back in 2023, The CW made headlines when it canceled its ambitious live-action series featuring the grown-up Powerpuff Girls after facing numerous challenges. Recently, a teaser video that offered a glimpse into what the show could have been like surfaced online, capturing the attention of fans and critics alike.

This morning, the YouTube channel "Lost Media Busters" uploaded the three-and-a-half-minute trailer, which was quickly removed due to a copyright takedown by Warner Bros. Entertainment. The trailer introduces a darker, more mature take on the beloved characters: Blossom, played by Chloe Bennet, is depicted as stressed and burnt out; Bubbles, portrayed by Dove Cameron, turns to drinking; and Buttercup, played by Yana Perrault, becomes rebellious and challenges gender norms.

Official images of the three Powerpuff Girls from CW's live-action effort: Dove Cameron, Chloe Bennet, and Yana Perrault.

The trailer unfolds with the trio accidentally causing the death of a human named Mojo, prompting them to flee Townsville. Years later, they return to visit their father, Professor Utonium, played by Donald Faison, only to find that Mojo's son, Jojo, has taken over as mayor and brainwashed the town's citizens, seeking vengeance against them. The trailer injects "edgy" humor, with Bubbles referencing juggalos and Buttercup making a bold comment about Jojo's vendetta against Blossom.

The CW has confirmed to Variety that while the footage is authentic, it was not intended for public viewing. The live-action Powerpuff Girls project was initially announced in 2020 but faced cancellation in 2023 following various setbacks, including an unsuccessful pilot and the exit of Chloe Bennet from the cast.

Reflecting on the project's challenges, CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz stated, "The reason you do pilots is because sometimes things miss, and this was just a miss. We believe in the cast completely. We believe in Diablo [Cody] and Heather [Regnier], the writers. We believe in the auspices of Greg Berlanti and Warner studios. 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. Tonally, it might’ve felt a little too campy. It didn’t feel as rooted in reality as it might’ve felt. But again, you learn things when you test things out. And so in this case, we felt, let’s take a step back and go back to the drawing board."