Chloe Bennet has exited the live-action CW pilot based on The Powerpuff Girls. Bennet was set to play Blossom for the series, which is currently operating under the title Powerpuff. The show was originally expected to debut in the fall. However, after the pilot was labeled “a miss” by CW chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz, The CW decided to redevelop and reshoot it.
Sources close to the project say that Warner Bros. Television was hoping to extend Bennet’s contract as they futzed with the pilot, but scheduling conflicts have caused the actress to be spirited away. For the time being, Dove Cameron is still set to star as Bubbles, while Yana Perrault is still cast as Buttercup. Other actors cast in the pilot include Donald Faison as Professor Drake Utonium, Nicholas Podany as the show’s version of villain Mojo Jojo named Joseph “Jojo” Mondel Jr., and Robyn Lively as Sara Bellum. Conversations to have all the actors return once the pilot is approved are ongoing.
Once upon a time, The Powerpuff Girls were American’s pint-sized superheroes who dealt with giant monsters, evil supervillains, and more, but now, they’re disillusioned twentysomethings who resent having lost their childhood to crime-fight; at least, that’s the premise of The CW’s upcoming live-action series Powerpuff.
The series stars Dove Cameron as Bubbles Utonium, a sweet girl who won America’s hearts as a child. “She still sparkles as an adult,” reads the official character description, “but her charming exterior belies an unexpected toughness and wit. She’s initially more interested in recapturing her fame than saving the world, but she just might surprise us and herself.”
Yana Perrault also stars as Buttercup Utonium, who was “the rebellious badass of The Powerpuff Girls in its heyday. More sensitive than her tough exterior suggests Buttercup has spent her adulthood trying to shed her Powerpuff Girl identity and live an anonymous life.”
Powerpuff was written by Diablo Cody and Heather Regnier, who serve as executive producers alongside director Maggie Kiley.
Do you have any suggestions for who should replace Chloe Bennet as Blossom in the Powerpuff pilot? Do you think this show will actually get made after so many setbacks? Let us know in the comments section below.