Powerpuff Girls gritty live-action reboot is now officially dead and gone

In case there was any doubt left in your mind, the live-action Powerpuff Girls series is now well and truly dead. That’s right. It’s not happening I’m afraid, after a lengthy and troublesome development period.

Live-action adaptations are all the rage. It’s no secret that Disney has been knocking them out left, right, and centre - with The Little Mermaid being the latest example. Admittedly, it’s my favourite in years. Halle Bailey is a star. Over on Netflix, we’ll soon see One Piece get its live-action debut, plus in the world of gaming, we’ve got upcoming adaptations of Five Nights At Freddy’s and Twisted Metal. Let’s get back to The Powerpuff Girls though. It was first reported that a live-action series was in the works in August 2020. In February 2021, Chloe Bennet, Dove Cameron and Yana Perrault then joined the cast as Buttercup, Blossom, and Bubbles.

Take a look at Twisted Metal in action below.

It’s reported that a pilot episode was filmed but the finished product didn’t quite feel right to The CW, the network behind the project. The pilot was not picked up for a full series, and the creatives behind the project went back to the drawing board. At this point, Chloe Bennet reportedly exited the series. Many suspected this was the end but The CW kept on trying to reconfigure the script.

As reported by WeGotThisCovered, the pilot script then allegedly leaked online leading to a number of memes - which isn’t exactly how you want people to react to your show. The story reportedly included Bubbles touring around convention centres after her fame faded, and the Girls’ estrangement from Professor Utonium. It’s said they blamed him for exploiting them as youths.

Back in May, The CW finally decided to pass on the project, allowing the creators to try and place it with another network but alas, nothing appears to have some of that. TVLine now reports that the project is canned completely. This was confirmed to the site by an insider close to the project. I don’t think any of us will be too surprised by this after everything this project has gone through.