Amid much skepticism, The CW network announced the development of a live-action adaptation of the exploits of the iconic heroines of the City of Saltadilla in August 2020. However, Warner Bros. Discovery made the decision to cancel that project. definitively three years later. Why did it never take off satisfactorily? Craig McCracken, creator of the iconic animated series, offers his perspective on the failed effort of live-action of The Powerpuff Girls.
what happened to him? live-action of The Powerpuff Girls?
Produced and written by Heather V. Regnier (Sleepy Hollow) and Devil Cody (Juno: Grow, run and stumble), under the support of Warner Bros. Television Studioshe live-action of The Powerpuff Girls It would have shown our protagonists as disillusioned twenty-somethings full of resentment for having lost their childhood in the fight against crime. However, a new threat required them to once again return to action to keep “everything under control.”
A pilot episode was produced, with Maggie Kiley (God’s call) as director. The cast included Chloe Bennett (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Dove Cameron (Decendents) and a debutante Yana Perrault as Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup, respectively. They were joined Donald Faison (scrubs) as Professor Utonium and Nicholas Podany (For a better tomorrow) as Joseph “Jojo” Mondel Jr., Mojo Jojo’s son.
But the internal reception not positive. In May 2021, the script was even leaked online and received overwhelmingly negative reviews on social media. Although it was said that the key team would remain on board to rework the concept, star Chloe Bennet eventually left the series due to “scheduling conflicts.” By July 2023, it was announced that the project would be officially scrapped.
What did he fail in? live-action?
Craig McCracken recently gave an interview to Los Angeles Times on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of his animated classic. The also creator of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends either Kid Cosmic was not involved in live-action of The Powerpuff Girls. However, those responsible for him did meet with him to get his perspective.
For Craig, the mistake was evident from the beginning: making a series that had nothing to do with the original work and labeling it “powerpuff girls” just to hang on to an established brand.
“I had a meeting with [los productores del live-action de Las chicas superpoderosas] and I told them: ‘When you turn them into adults, they will no longer be The Powerpuff Girls. Because if they are adults, they will be just three super girls who don’t have to deal with being girls.McCracken recalled. “That’s a completely different series.”
McCracken believes that the same thing happened with the animated reboot that Cartoon Network tested in 2016, without his participation and with a new voice cast. In those years, the creative was busy with the program Wander Over Yonder for Disney. The new version by Nick Jennings and Bob Boyle, he believes, gave the concept a 180° turn, making it lose its main appeal.
“First and foremost, [con Las chicas superpoderosas] We were doing a superhero show, but [nuestros heroínas] “They turned out to be little girls,” he said about what made the series special. “What they were doing [en el reboot] was to make a show about little girls who had superpowers. Because the focus changed, the tone changed.”
Right now, McCracken is working on a new project The Powerpuff Girls by Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. Will this be the long-awaited return of the saga to its old glories?
The classic series of The Powerpuff Girls is available on HBO Max and Netflix.