Out of all the things you might have thought would get a live-action adaptation, this was probably not one that would have been on your list… but here we are! The CW is apparently developing a live-action ‘Powerpuff Girls’, with Diablo Cody and Greg Berlanti attached as exec producers.
For the uninitiated, the original animated series, created by Craig McCracken, ran from 1998-2005 and followed the adventures of Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. These three kindergarten-aged girls, with an array of superpowers, saved the world (or at least their city of Townsville) from monsters, would-be conquerers and a few other gross things. Whilst the episodes often focused on issues that young children face, such as school, hygiene, or sibling rivalries, they were also packed full of older pop culture references, which made them beloved by a much wider audience.
Of course, the live-action version is for The CW… That means there will be some changes… The Powerpuff Girls are no longer America’s pre-teen, pint-sized superheroes. Now they’re disillusioned twentysomethings who resent having lost their childhood to crime-fighting. Will they agree to reunite now that the world needs them more than ever?
The script for the pilot comes from Diablo Cody, best known for the brilliant movie ‘Juno’, and dramedy series ‘United States of Tara’, alongside Heather Regnier, who has written on shows such as ‘Veronica Mars’, ‘Sleepy Hollow’, ‘Falling Skies’ and ‘iZombie’. Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. TV would produce the series. Cody and Regnier exec produce along with Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and David Madden from Berlanti Prods.
Although this would be the first time the show has been converted into live-action, there was an animated reboot of the series which began on Cartoon Network in 2016, and has run for three seasons so far. There was also a movie version which premiered in 2002, along with a stack of video games across various platforms.
The potential ‘Powerpuff Girls’ live-action series is currently only “in development” at the moment, but we’ll let you know if and when we hear more.