We should have known those Powerpuff Girls pictures weren't telling the whole story.
Last week, several pics emerged from the set of the CW's live action reboot of The Powerpuff Girls, and fans were left a little confused. It looked a bit, as some Twitter users said, like the costumes came from a budget Halloween store. One tweet that went viral described it as an "unironic porn parody." The costumes consisted of simple, boxy dresses in bright colors, and while they looked almost exactly like what the girls wear in the cartoon, many were expecting something a bit more sophisticated for the real thing.
But as anyone who has ever watched a CW superhero pilot will know, classic-looking outfits often get upgrades pretty much immediately. On Monday, the network took it upon themselves to quell the haters with an actual first look at the pilot and an explanation: Those original pics were taken during a flashback to the girls' teen years, when they did, in fact, wear boxy dresses. This show is about Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles as adults, and as adults, they wear normal clothes.
According to the new photo, those normal clothes include jeans, blazers, and leather jackets.
The show (which is currently just a pilot) stars Chloe Bennet as Blossom, Dove Cameron as Bubbles and Yana Perrault as Buttercup. They're "disillusioned twentysomethings who resent having lost their childhood to crime fighting" and have to decide if they're going to reunite "now that the world needs them more than ever."
The network even released character descriptions for the three main characters, and "disillusioned" is one way to put it.
Blossom: "Though she was a spunky, conscientious, Little-Miss-Perfect child who holds several advanced degrees, Blossom's 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."
Bubbles: "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."
As for the rest of the cast, Donald Faison plays Professor Drake Utonium, Nicholas Podany is Jojo Mondel and Robyn Lively plays Sara Bellum.
The pilot was written by Heather Regnier and Diablo Cody and directed by Maggie Kiley. Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and David Madden all serve as executive producers. It is currently in production.