The CW’s Powerpuff Girl series Powerpuff, featuring the beloved ‘90s cartoon characters as disillusioned twenty-somethings, has begun filming its pilot in Atlanta. Those curious about how the show will look didn’t have to wait long for the first glimpse at Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup as live-action adults. Paparazzi captured photos of stars Dove Cameron (Bubbles), Chloe Bennet (Blossom), and Yana Perrault (Buttercup) shooting the episode this week.
It appears the show’s costume designer is sticking with the cartoon characters’ original costumes for now. It’s unclear whether that will change as (and if) the series progresses; at this point, only a pilot has been ordered. The series was first reported to be in development by Variety in August 2020.
Not a lot is known about the show right now, but some preliminary detail has come out. Here’s what else we know so far.
As Variety puts it, the girls, now in their 20s, “resent having lost their childhood to crime fighting. Will they agree to reunite now that the world needs them more than ever?”
In March 2021, Variety released new details about how the series is depicting Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup as adults. Here’s how the outlet describes them:
Blossom: “Though she was a spunky, conscientious, Little-Miss-Perfect child who holds several advanced degrees, [Blossom] has repressed kiddie-superhero trauma has left her feeling anxious and reclusive, and she aims to become a leader again, this time on her own terms.”
Bubble: “Bubbles’ sweet-girl disposition won America’s hearts as a child. She still sparkles as an adult, 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.”
Buttercup: “Buttercup 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.”
Heather Regnier (former Veronica Mars producer) and Diablo Cody (Juno writer) are writing and executive producing the series. Other executive producers include Greg Berlanti (Love, Simon), Sarah Schechter (Unpregnant), and David Madden (Superman and Lois Lane). Erika Kennair (The Flight Attendant) will also work as a producer on the show. For the pilot, Maggie Kiley (who has directed Katy Keene, Riverdale, and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina episodes) is directing and executive producing.
Five roles have been announced so far.
Twenty-eight-year old actress and singer Chloe Bennet (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) will be playing Blossom. Bennet dyed her hair red for the role and showed off the change on her Instagram. “female, asian, red headed, superhero (again),” she wrote. “✨fuck yeah✨ Go ahead and normalize being anything you want hunnyyy.”
Twenty-five-year old actress and singer Dove Cameron will be playing Bubbles. Cameron was a Disney Channel star as a kid, starring in Liv and Maddie and The Descendants films. Bennet and Cameron also worked together before on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Cameron has given a generous look at production on Powerpuff on her Instagram. She shared behind-the-scene photos from the pilot filming on April 3, 2021.
Twenty-five-year old Yana Perrault is making her screen debut with Powerpuff. Perrault is an accomplished Broadway actress; Variety notes that she was in the Alanis Morrissette musical Jagged Little Pill and was cast in Hamilton before the coronavirus pandemic shut down Broadway. When Perrault’s casting was announced, the actress wrote on her Instagram, “Bag secured. 💚🤑💚⚡️ (no really v grateful, this is too dreamy to believe, so many feelings, still processing, on cloud 9) 💚”
Donald Faison, the 46-year-old Scrubs and Clueless alum, will play the Powerpuff Girls’ scientist father, who created them in his lab in the original cartoon. According to Variety, Professor Utonium will be “quirky, debonair, and a pinch narcissistic. He is a scientific genius who is immensely proud of the three extraordinary girls he created in his lab. Staring down a midlife crisis, he is determined to repair his relationships with his now-adult daughters.”
Twenty-four-year old Nicholas Podany will play the CW series’ Mojo Jojo, according to Variety. Podany has a Broadway background, having played Albus Potter in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Back in 2012, he also appeared on Hart of Dixie as Max Burgess.
What is this Mojo Jojo, fully named Joseph “Jojo” Mondel Jr, like? Variety wrote, “as a kid, the nerdy, power-hungry, insecure JoJo was obsessed with The Powerpuff Girls, despite his father’s grudge against them. As an adult, JoJo finds his sweetness and rage in constant battle.”
Podany has also shared photos from shooting, posting behind-the-scene pics on April 7. “Mojo and my Gamma (a la merch) are what make me happy today,” he captioned it.
It’s unclear at this point what the release date for the show will be, especially since the series only has a pilot order. Filming on the pilot began in April 2021.
