Back in 2023, fans of the beloved animated series The Powerpuff Girls were disappointed when The CW canceled a live-action adaptation featuring the grown-up versions of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. The project faced numerous challenges, leading to its eventual demise. Recently, a teaser video has emerged online, giving viewers a glimpse of what the show could have been, and it's certainly sparking conversations.
The video, which was uploaded to the YouTube channel "Lost Media Busters," has since been removed due to a copyright claim by Warner Bros. Entertainment. The three-and-a-half-minute trailer introduces a darker and more mature take on the iconic characters. Blossom, portrayed by Chloe Bennet, is depicted as stressed and burnt out, while Bubbles, played by Dove Cameron, struggles with alcohol, and Buttercup, portrayed by Yana Perrault, is shown as rebellious and challenging gender norms.
In the trailer, the sisters accidentally kill a man named Mojo and flee Townsville. Years later, they return to visit their father, Professor Utonium, played by Donald Faison. They find that Mojo's son, Jojo, has become the mayor and is seeking revenge after brainwashing the town's residents. The trailer includes edgy humor, such as Bubbles referencing juggalos and Buttercup's bold remark about Jojo's vendetta against Blossom.
The CW has confirmed to Variety that the footage is authentic, though it was never intended for public release. The live-action Powerpuff Girls project was first announced in 2020 but faced significant hurdles, including an unsuccessful pilot and Chloe Bennet's departure from the show.
CW's chairman and CEO, Mark Pedowitz, commented on the pilot's failure, stating, "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."
