Chloe Bennet Steps Down From The CW's "Powerpuff Girls" Live-Action Reboot
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The city of Townsville and its heroes are about to get a huge makeover. According to Variety,The CW is putting a live-action spin on another beloved animated series — The Powerpuff Girls. But don't expect the same bubbly fun show that you saw when you were younger.
"In the updated version of the series, the titular superheroes are now disillusioned twentysomethings who resent having lost their childhood to crime fighting," Variety reports. "Will they agree to reunite now that the world needs them more than ever?"
The series is currently being spearheaded by writers and producers Heather Regnier and Diablo Cody. Heather recently worked on the Veronica Mars reboot on Hulu and iZombie, which also aired on The CW before it ended in 2019. Meanwhile, Diablo is known for the being the writer behind Juno and Jennifer's Body, showing all the different directions the show can possibly go. Greg Berlanti, who is known for creating The CW's Arrowverse, Sarah Schechter, and David Madden are also producing.
This would not be the first time the iconic superhero triplets will be rebooted. While the original series aired from 1998 to 2005, the series was recently recreated in 2016 and ended in 2019. A Japanese anime reboot, Powerpuff Girls Z, also aired from 2006 to 2007. However, it still has not been released in the US, although an English-dubbed version does currently exist.
The CW has put in an official pilot order for the series, which means that at least the first episode will be made.
In pilot orders, networks will typically view them ahead of time to determine whether or not they will actually go forward or not. So there's still a chance that the show might not make it on the air in the first place, but we're crossing our fingers that it does.
Naturally, fans are super excited to see the beloved pint-sized superheroes in a new, grown-up way. Read ahead for everything you need to know about The CW's Powerpuff so far.
Who has been cast?
Descendants star Dove Cameron and Broadway star Yana Perrault have officially signed on to stars as the two of the iconic superhero sisters.
Dove will be taking on the role of Bubbles while Yana brings Buttercup to life. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Chloe Bennet was originally cast as Blossom, but as of August 11, 2021, she has exited the show.
According to a report by Variety, Warner Bros. Television still wanted Chloe to play Blossom as they reworked the pilot. She allegedly exited due to scheduling conflicts and casting for a new Blossom will begin in the fall.
Some of the original cast members include Donald Faison as Professor Drake Utonium, Nicholas Podany as Mojo Jojo's son, Joseph "Jojo" Mondel Jr., and Robyn Lively as Sara Bellum. Scrubs star Donald Faison will also be playing Professor Utoniom, the professor who brings the girls to life with sugar, spice, and everything nice — oh yeah, and Chemical X.
Tom Kenny, who is the voice of Spongebob Squarepants and the voice of the narrator and the Mayor of Townsville in the original animated Powerpuff Girls series, will be coming back as the narrator for the live-action series.
There's no word yet on whether the rest of the cast will be returning as well.
When is Powerpuff coming out?
Deadline has confirmed that the Powerpuff pilot is being reworked for The CW. While this means that the series will have to be completely reshot and won't be in contention for the Fall 2021 season, there's still a chance it'll be ready for mid-season.
After Chloe's exit, all other cast members and writers already involved in the project will stay on for the pilot's rework. There's no word on what caused The CW to ask for a new pilot, but with some mixed reception to photos that were leaked from filming, it's possible that they decided to go into a new direction for fans.
At least there's still a chance that we'll see it on our screens in the near future.
Are there any photos?
This is a special announcement for all the citizens of Townsville! The first official look at the all-grown-up Powerpuff is finally here and it's unlike anything we've seen yet.
The CW has sent out the first photo featuring our favorite superhero sister trio in their new looks for the series.
In behind-the-scenes photos from April 2021, Chloe Bennet, Dove Cameron, and Yana Perrault were spotted wearing the same dresses that their animated counterparts are known for wearing. However, Entertainment Weekly reports they "will only be seen in flashbacks to their teenage years, with the pilot's focus being on the heroes as adults."
Dove also showed her excitement for the new project by posting some photos and videos from the first day of filming on set.
Maggie Kiley, who will be directing the pilot, revealed the show's logo in her chair back on Instagram.
Yana also shared her gratitude for getting the chance to be on the show and her first leading role.
"Today was my very first day ever one TV for real. I know I did Broad City, but like I'm a main character. And that's pretty f*cking special. I happy cried a couple times so special day!"
Yana Perrault talks about shooting the pilot episode today! 💕✨source: @yanaperrault/IG 📸 pic.twitter.com/EBgS294Mzu
— Powerpuff! ☼ (@powerpuffcw) April 7, 2021
With the pilot still in the works, it'll be a while until we find out if the show will be going forward with a full series pickup. Until then, at least we can enjoy the bits we've already seen.
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