The CW can never hold Kitty! How’s that for a deep cut? Don’t worry, Powerpuff Girl fans. I’ve got your back. Some unfortunate news is coming out of Townsville today. The CW is no longer developing several live-action series, including The Powerpuff Girls, the Archie series Jake Chang, the Arrowverse show Justice U, and a female-led Zorro. The same fate goes for all series left over from former CW president Mark Pedowitz’s tenure.
“We’ve already given those back to the studios,” Brad Schwartz, The CW’s President of Entertainment, explained to TVLine after an Upfront presentation, adding, “so they’re free to develop those and sell them anywhere.”
Shutting down development on the abovementioned projects comes as Hollywood struggles to negotiate with the WGA during the most recent writer’s strike. With no timeline for when writers will return to work, more shows could be in danger of getting canceled or shopped to other platforms.
Today’s news is another blow to The Powerpuff Girls live-action series, which underwent redevelopment and reshooting for its pilot episode after it tested negatively. The show experienced another super-powered punch to the gut when Chloe Bennet, who was playing Blossom, exited the series.
The Powerpuff Girls is a live-action series based on the original Cartoon Network animated series created by Craig McCracken. Written and exec produced by Juno’s Diablo Cody and Veronica Mars co-EP Heather Regnier, it is also executive produced by Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, and David Madden. It comes from Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros TV. Erika Kennair produces.
The series follows the trio who used to be America’s 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?
Meanwhile, other projects canceled by The CW include Justice U, an Arrowverse spinoff led by David Ramsey’s John Diggle. Jake Chang revolves around the new-ish Archie Comics character, while the female-led Zorro project hails from Planet Terror and Alita: Battle Angel director Robert Rodriguez. All shows could be shopped to different networks, though it remains to be determined if anyone is interested.
What do you think about The CW ceasing development on the abovementioned live-action series? What are their plans for the future? We’ll provide more details when we learn more.