According to Variety, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. alum Chloe Bennet has decided to exit her leading role as Blossom in The CW’s live-action Powerpuff Girls pilot, which is currently being redeveloped after the first pilot was scrapped by the network last May. Despite Warner Bros. Television offering to extend her option for the retooled pilot, Bennet had no choice but to leave the project due to scheduling conflicts. The outlet notes that Warner Bros. TV will start searching for her replacement this fall.
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The Powerpuff Girls was created by Craig McCracken and debuted in 1998, centering on Professor Utonium as, in an attempt to create the perfect little girl, ends up creating the titular trio Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup from the combination of sugar, spice, everything nice and the mysterious Chemical X.
Powerpuff centers on the titular trio as disillusioned twentysomethings who resent having spent their entire childhood fighting crime and are struggling to reunite as the world needs them more than ever. It is unclear if this would still be the premise of the reworked pilot.
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Two other leads of the pilot, Dove Cameron and Yana Perrault, are still attached to portray the roles of Bubbles and Buttercup, respectively. However, negotiations for the return of Donald Faison as Professor Drake Utonium, Nicholas Podany as Jojo, and Robin Lively as Sara Bellum are currently underway.
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The first Powerpuff pilot was written and executive produced by Heather Regnier (iZombie) and Diablo Cody (Jennifer’s Body), who will both pen the rewrite for the new pilot. Executive producers are Regnier, Cody, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and David Madden. It is a co-production between Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television.
