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

In 2023, The CW made headlines when it canceled a highly anticipated live-action series featuring the grown-up Powerpuff Girls, following numerous reported issues. Recently, a teaser video surfaced online, offering a glimpse into what the show could have been, and it has sparked quite a bit of interest.

The teaser was initially shared on the YouTube channel "Lost Media Busters," but was quickly removed due to a copyright claim by Warner Bros. Entertainment. Clocking in at three-and-a-half minutes, the trailer introduced the premise of the series: Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, now young adults, had left their childhood home. Blossom, portrayed by Chloe Bennet, was shown as stressed and burnt out, while Bubbles, played by Dove Cameron, turned to drinking, and Buttercup, portrayed by Yana Perrault, displayed a rebellious streak and challenged gender norms.

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

In the trailer, the trio accidentally kills a human named Mojo and subsequently flees Townsville. Years later, they return to visit their father, Professor Utonium, played by Donald Faison. They discover that Mojo's son, Jojo, has become the mayor of Townsville, brainwashed its citizens, and is now seeking revenge against them. The trailer includes "edgy" humor, such as Bubbles joking about juggalos and Buttercup making a crude remark about Jojo's vendetta against Blossom.

The CW confirmed to Variety that the footage was genuine but clarified that the trailer was not an official release and was never intended for public viewing.

The live-action Powerpuff Girls series was first announced in 2020 but faced cancellation in 2023 after several setbacks, including an unsuccessful pilot and the departure of Chloe Bennet from the project. CW 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."