The CW makes big moves with The 4400 reboot, The Powerpuff Girls and more

The CW is making up for a quiet 2020 fall television schedule by making some big moves in 2021, including a direct-to-series order for The 4400 reboot and pilot orders for The Powerpuff Girls live-action remake, Ava DuVernay’s Naomi and a pilot about a pair of millennial nuns looking for their place in the Catholic Church.

The CW’s plans for 2020 were disrupted by the coronavirus shutdowns, and there was speculation that the network would eschew pilots for straight-to-series orders, but chairman Mark Pedowitz thinks that pilots are an integral part of the process, so here we are.

The CW sets for ambitious fall TV season with reboots and high-profile series

The 4400 reboot series order isn’t much of a surprise. The show became a cult classic that filled a gap as the USA Network rebranded itself in the mid-2000s. In this updated version of the show, 4400 previously overlooked and “marginalized” people return after disappearing at some point over the past hundred years. Over the course of the investigation it becomes clear that there’s something different about them. Riverdale’s Ariana Jackson and Anna Fricke, who’s also headed up The CW’s reboot of Walker, Texas Ranger, will serve as executive producers along with Laura Terry.

Beloved Cartoon Network series The Powerpuff Girls is getting a live-action follow-up that features Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup in their 20s trying to move forward as adults. The series comes to life under the guidance of a high-powered executive producer and writing team of Diablo Cody (Juno), Heather Regnier (Veronica Mars) and executive producers Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and David Madden. The CW has ordered a pilot.

They’ve also ordered one from Ava DuVernay and Arrow’s Jill Blankenship. This show follows Naomi, a teenager in Oregon who witnesses Superman saving the day in her town. She starts to wonder why no one remembers the last time Superman was in town, which leads her on a quest for answers. The character, developed in 2019 by DC Comics writers Brian Michael Bendis and David F. Walker, became an instant fan favorite as she explores her powers and finds herself working with Batman, Superman and other members of the DC Universe.

Finally, the network has ordered a pilot for a dramedy about two millennial nuns. The project was originally known as Cloister F*cked and hails from writers Claire Rothrock and Ryann Weir.

Tuesday’s announcements are in addition to the other projects the CW has previously announced, including Wonder Girl and spin-offs of Black Lightning and Nancy Drew.

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