Leaked Trailer Reveals Canceled Powerpuff Girls Live-Action Series

Back in 2023, The CW made headlines when it canceled a much-anticipated live-action series featuring the grown-up Powerpuff Girls. The project faced numerous challenges, leading to its eventual demise. However, a new teaser video has recently emerged, giving fans a glimpse into what the series might have looked like. This footage, which surfaced on the YouTube channel "Lost Media Busters," was quickly taken down due to a copyright claim by Warner Bros. Entertainment.

The three-and-a-half-minute trailer sets up the series' premise: Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup have matured into young adults and ventured out on their own. Blossom, portrayed by Chloe Bennet, is depicted as stressed and burnt out. Bubbles, played by Dove Cameron, is shown struggling with alcohol, while Buttercup, portrayed by Yana Perrault, adopts a rebellious attitude and challenges 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 flees Townsville. Years later, they return home to visit their father, Professor Utonium, portrayed by Donald Faison. They find that Mojo's son, Jojo, has grown up and become the mayor of Townsville. Jojo has brainwashed the town's residents and seeks revenge against the Powerpuff Girls. The trailer includes edgy humor, such as Bubbles referencing juggalos and Buttercup making a crude remark about Jojo's vendetta against Blossom.

The CW confirmed to Variety that the footage is authentic, but clarified that the trailer was not an official release and was never meant for public viewing.

The live-action Powerpuff Girls series was first announced in 2020, but faced multiple setbacks, including a disappointing initial pilot and the departure of Chloe Bennet from the project. CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz explained the cancellation, 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."