Leonardo DiCaprio and Glen Powell Combine Powers to Bring ‘Captain Planet’ to the Big Screen
This isn’t the first time we’ve heard talk of a live-action Captain Planet movie: Sony was originally planning to bring the environmentalist superhero to the big screen, but now that the rights have lapsed, Paramount is in talks to snag them with a little help from real-life environmentalist superhero Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor is teaming up with Scream Queens star Glen Powell to develop a movie based on the ’90s cartoon series, but unlike other recent nostalgia cash-ins, this one has a positive message behind it.
According to THR, Paramount is in talks to secure the rights to Captain Planet for DiCaprio to produce via his Appian Way banner. Scream Queens star Glen Powell and his writing partner Jono Matt will pen the screenplay for the project, which is based on the classic animated series Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Powell, who also appeared in Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some, will reportedly star in the film — though the report doesn’t confirm his exact role, it’s hard to imagine Powell wouldn’t be playing the title character.
The original Captain Planet series centered on a group of five teenagers from all over the globe gifted with special rings that allowed them to control the elements earth, wind, fire, water and heart (long before Luc Besson and Milla Jovovich taught us The Fifth Element). By combining powers, the team could summon the titular hero to help them take down villains and environmental threats.
Matt and Powell’s script would reportedly be set years after the events of the show, as Captain Planet is now a “washed-up has-been who needs the kids more than they need him.”
Of all the classic properties being revived for new live-action films and potential franchises, Captain Planet actually isn’t all that surprising — DiCaprio has been a passionate and outspoken advocate for environmentalism for a long time now. Still, it’s tricky source material that requires some updating, and Matt and Powell will need to find a way to strike the right tonal balance between appealing to modern audiences and retaining the series’ original message.