Powerpuff Girls Movie Reportedly Moves Forward Without Its Own Creator

Townsville’s pint-sized heroes have been through a lot on the big screen. ‘The Powerpuff Girls Movie’ was released in theaters on July 3, 2002, by Warner Bros. Pictures, with Craig McCracken directing. It was a prequel origin story that grossed $16.4 million against an $11 million budget.

The franchise has had a bumpy road since. A live-action series was first reported in August 2020, and McCracken was not involved. The CW later passed on it, and the series was returned to Warner Bros. TV in May 2023 before it was reportedly scrapped for good.

Meanwhile, McCracken was busy elsewhere. He was announced in July 2022 to be developing reboots of ‘The Powerpuff Girls’ and ‘Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends’, and the ‘Powerpuff’ revival was set up at Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe. In 2024, he clarified that the project was still in development, not production.

That brings us to June 2026, when Warner Bros. Pictures Animation announced at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival that a new film was in the works. The project has not been greenlit for production, and the studio has not announced a release date, director, or casting details. Now, a new report suggests the man who created the girls won’t be part of it.

According to ComicBook.com, citing Allan Neuwirth’s ‘Makin’ Toons’ podcast, executives reportedly asked McCracken to develop a pitch for a reboot, but it was ultimately rejected. Warner Bros. will reportedly develop its own take on the franchise. None of this has been confirmed by the studio, so it is worth treating as a report for now.

The timing makes it more interesting. When the film was announced, it wasn’t clear whether McCracken would have any influence on the new movie. Another outlet noted at the time that there was no confirmation that he would be involved, even though he had returned to the franchise for the animated reboot.

McCracken has been outspoken about how the characters should be handled. When the live-action CW project was in the works, he told the Los Angeles Times he warned the network it was taking his characters in the wrong direction. His argument was that turning the girls into adults removes what makes them the Powerpuff Girls, since the premise relies on them being kids.

It also isn’t the first time a McCracken pitch has run into a wall at the studio. He once had an idea for a crossover episode in which the Joker came to Townsville, but Warner Bros. ultimately rejected the pitch. Whether that history says anything about this latest report is anyone’s guess, but it does show the creator and the studio haven’t always seen eye to eye.

For fans, the reaction will probably be mixed. Some will be glad to see the franchise back in theaters after more than 20 years, while others will be wary of a version made without the person who dreamed up Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup in the first place. Warner Bros. has also been developing a ‘ThunderCats’ feature alongside it, a sign that the studio is leaning hard into nostalgia.

For now, the facts are thin. The film is in development, the creative team is unannounced, and the McCracken news rests on a podcast report. Until Warner Bros. says more, the biggest question is what a ‘Powerpuff Girls’ movie looks like without the creator who has defended these characters for decades.