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

In 2023, The CW's ambitious live-action adaptation of the beloved animated series "The Powerpuff Girls" was canceled amidst numerous challenges. Recently, a teaser video that surfaced on the YouTube channel "Lost Media Busters" offered a glimpse into what the show could have been. However, the video was quickly removed due to a copyright claim by Warner Bros. Entertainment.

The three-and-a-half-minute trailer introduced us to the grown-up versions of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup, portrayed by Chloe Bennet, Dove Cameron, and Yana Perrault, respectively. The storyline depicted the trio as young adults grappling with real-world issues: Blossom struggling with burnout, Bubbles dealing with alcoholism, and Buttercup challenging societal gender norms.

The trailer takes a dark turn as the sisters inadvertently cause the death of a human named Mojo and subsequently flee Townsville. Years later, they return to visit their father, Professor Utonium (Donald Faison), only to find themselves facing a new threat: Mojo's adult son, Jojo, who has become the mayor of Townsville and is now seeking revenge after brainwashing its citizens. The trailer attempts to inject humor with edgy quips, such as Bubbles joking about juggalos and Buttercup's provocative comments about Jojo's feelings toward Blossom.

Although the footage was confirmed to be real by The CW to Variety, it was clarified that the trailer was not intended for public viewing and was not an official release.

Originally announced in 2020, the live-action "Powerpuff Girls" series faced significant hurdles, culminating in its cancellation in 2023. Key setbacks included the underwhelming reception of the initial pilot and the departure of Chloe Bennet from the project. Reflecting on the pilot's failure, CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz stated, "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."