LIVE-ACTION “POWERPUFF GIRLS,” Other New Shows Ordered for PILOT by THE CW for the 2021-22 Season

 

The CW has long established itself as the home of DC superheroes on television. Ever since “Arrow” established a universe of costumed crime-fighters operating on a common setting (later joined by the formerly-separate verses of “Supergirl” and “Black Lightning”), the “Arrow-verse” is often the first franchise one thinks of when discussing The CW nowadays. But there are plenty of distinctive IP’s on the network other than DC’s, and they are constantly bringing in new things. One upcoming show in particular hails from, of all places, Cartoon Network, which will actually be given the live-action treatment when it hits The CW.

Variety has it that The CW is lining up pilot orders for potential new series coming into the network for this 2021-22 season. This slate includes a live-action take on “The Powerpuff Girls,” the memorable animated series created by Craig McCracken for Cartoon Network’s “Cartoon Cartoon” originals. The project had actually been announced as far back as August last year. The project is being produced by Warner Bros. Television, with executive producers Diablo Cody and Greg Berlanti joining in with their respective production labels Vita Vera Films and Berlanti Productions.

It being a live-action reimagining, the planned “Powerpuff Girls” series is being conceptualized as a broad-strokes distant sequel to the Cartoon Network animation. That means the titular Kindergartener super-heroines will get a very significant age-up. An initial plot blurb from 2020 puts the Powerpuffs in their twenties, all of them burned out by having dedicated their entire childhood to fighting crime and the forces of evil. For having awesome super-powers, such a life will not give them peace and normality. But when a new wave of villainy sweeps the city, will the girls be able to muster their heroic spirit to fly in and save the day all over again?

Aside from “Powerpuff Girls,” other pilot orders by The CW for this season include “Naomi,” a 2019 DC Comics miniseries that will also get a live-action adaptation courtesy of show-runners Ava DuVernay and Jill Blankenship, as well as a reboot of the 2000s sci-fi series “The 4400,” which was produced by CBS Paramount Network Television and aired on USA Network (stateside) and Sky One (UK).

Image courtesy of JoBlo.com