While it feels like they were more or less off the table even before Mark Pedowitz left The CW, it has now been confirmed that projects such as the David Ramsey-starring Justice U and the live-action Powerpuff Girls project are indeed dead. Also certainly not moving forward are the Archie Comics-based Jake Chang and a female Zorro series which had ordered more scripts.
TVLine got the information from The CW’s current President of Entertainment, Brad Schwartz, last week. “We’ve already given those back to the studios, so they’re free to develop those and sell them anywhere,” he said.
Originally developed by Michael Narducci (Superman & Lois), Justice U was apparently being redeveloped by a new writer, which David Ramsey confirmed last year. Had it gone forward, it might have served as a continuation of sorts for the “Arrowverse” which ends with The Flash on Wednesday. (Superman & Lois and Gotham Knights are elsewhere in the DC Multiverse). As for Powerpuff, there hadn’t been a lot of news since Chloe Bennet departed the project and the script leaked online to not-so-positive reviews. While the TVLine quote does say they can be redeveloped elsewhere, we can see if they end up happening.
The CW seems to be moving on from the superhero world, which the current heads think of as “unprofitable” for linear TV. It still remains to be seen if Superman & Lois and Gotham Knights will be picked up for the 2023-2024 TV season.
