Plans for a movie based on eco-friendly superhero Captain Planet have been in the works for years now, with various studios and filmmakers attached to the project at one time or another, but now the film could indeed have the momentum it needs to get out of development limbo, thanks to Leonardo DiCaprio.
DiCaprio’s Appian Way production studio has reportedly partnered with Paramount Pictures to develop a live-action film based on the Captain Planet and the Planeteers animated series from the ’90s that featured a group of eco-conscious teenagers from around the world who summon a powerful hero when supervillains threaten the environment.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Scream Queens actor Glen Powell and writer Jono Matt are expected to pen the script for the film, with DiCaprio producing the project along with his Appian Way partner Jennifer Davisson Killoran.
Captain Planet and the Planeteers (later called The New Adventures of Captain Planet) ran for six seasons on TBS from 1990 through 1996, and featured the voices of Whoopi Goldberg as Gaia (later replaced by Margot Kidder), as well as LeVar Burton as one of the teenagers gifted with the magic rings that summon Captain Planet. Ed Asner, John Ratzenberger, Jeff Goldblum, Meg Ryan, Dean Stockwell, Sting, Malcolm McDowell, and Martin Sheen all voiced various villains during the show’s run.
Along with spawning a video game, comic book series, and various other spinoff projects, Captain Planet famously required all of the toys and other official tie-in products for the series to be created from recyclable materials, and producer Barbara Pyle negotiated for a percentage of the show’s merchandising revenue to go toward the Captain Planet Foundation — a charitable organization that helps fund environmentally conscious projects.
There’s no word on what sort of approach the writers and producers plan to take with the property, or when we can expect to see it move forward in development.
