It seems Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. alum Chloe Bennet will have to wait a little longer to be once again be a superhero. Ahead of The CW releasing their 2021-22 schedule, the network has handed official series orders to two projects, as the others either remain in limbo or have been scrapped. Bennet’s Powerpuff reboot just got some bad news, but hope isn't completely lost for the project.
The Powerpuff Girls live-action reboot, which imagines the trio as adults after years of crime-fighting, has not technically been offed by The CW. According to Deadline, the network will instead rework the pilot, with actors Chloe Bennet, Dove Cameron, Yana Perrault and Donald Faison still attached to the project, along with the creative team. This new pilot for the series will be filmed off-cycle. Since the initial announcement, the series has created general buzz due to the popularity of the original series and the intrigue of seeing it reworked as a live-action series with familiar names. The series was reportedly seen as a strong contender for a pickup going into pilot season.
Last month, Dove Cameron expressed her excitement about joining the reboot as Bubbles. Having grown up without cable but still knowing who the Powerpuff Girls were was a crazy time for her. The former Disney star couldn’t reveal too much about the series but just “it is so exactly what you would want.” The CW reworking the pilot means the network still cares enough about the series to give it another try. And the fact that the cast and crew are still involved means they trust the creatives and what they want to achieve. Rebooting an iconic classic is not always easy, but the network seems to still have faith that the show will turn out how the way it's been envisioned.
Recently, it was announced that veteran voice actor Tom Kenny, who is arguably most famous for lending his voice to the lovable and yellow sea sponge SpongeBob SquarePants, would return to reprise his role of narrator for the live-action adaptation. Kenny served in the role during The Powerpuff Girls’ original Cartoon Network run from 1998 to 2005 and returned for its 2016 revival, which was also on Cartoon Network. However, it’s unknown if Kenny, as well as Light As a Feather’s Robyn Lively, who was going to play the Mayor’s faceless secretary Ms. Sara Bellum, will remain members of the cast.
Meanwhile, The CW has given series orders to DC Comics project Naomi and All American spinoff All American: Homecoming, joining new series orders for The 4400 and an adult version of Nickelodeon's kids game show Legends of the Hidden Temple. An addition, the potential Nancy Drew spinoff, Tom Swift, remains in contention at the network. Tian Richards actually made his introduction as the black, gay, billionaire inventor and sleuth in a recent episode of Nancy Drew.
It's to say when The CW could make an executive decision on Powerpuff or whether or not the show could be shopped to other platforms if the network chooses not to move forward with it. For now, it’s all about hoping that this new, reworked pilot will work out for the better and we get to see Chloe Bennet as a superhero once again.
