‘Captain Planet and the Planeteers’ Live-Action Movie Will Be ‘More Subversive and Fun’

Captain Planet and the Planeteers, the iconic 90’s cartoon show, is set to hit the big screen with a live-action movie from scribes Glen Powell and Jono Matt penning the screenplay.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the Set It Up star shared about his career as a screenwriter, calling it an “interesting process.” Powell also dished out on the previous attempts to adapt Captain Planet into the big screen that wasn’t that successful. As one of Powell’s favorite childhood cartoons, he differentiates their take on the adaptation, with it being “way more subversive and fun” as well as “dark and irreverent.”

“Sometimes you have to think of these things logically,” Powell said. “If you have a blue superhero with a green mullet, you can’t do like an earnest take on that. You have to go at it from a fun [direction].”

Created by environmentalists Barbara Pyle and Ted Turner, Captain Planet and the Planeteers ran from 1990 to 1992 and aimed to entertain and educate young viewers about environmentalism. Captain Planet follows the story of five young people across the globe who were given magic rings from Gaia, the spirit of the planet. Four of these rings contained powers of the basic elements (Earth, Fire, Water, Wind), with one possessing the power of Heart. These rings were meant to protect the earth from eco-villains by summoning the environmental superhero Captain Planet when combined.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions along with Paramount will be teaming up for the live action adaptation. It’s a great fit given DiCaprio’s active involvement in raising awareness on environmental issues and the overall themes of Captain Planet.  

As of now, the movie adaptation is yet to announce a director and cast members. Although with the combined powers of DiCaprio, Powell, and Marr, that may soon change.