If you were a child of the 1980s that grew up in the 1990s, chances are good that you remember the cartoon series Captain Planet and the Planeteers. Sure, you may have tried to suppress memories of singing along to its catchy theme with lyrics like “Captain Planet, he’s our hero / Going to take pollution down to zero,” but I bet just as you read that you probably started humming the song in your head.
Am I right?
Well, it looks like those suppressed memories will become unleashed if Leonardo DiCaprio and his Appian Way Productions company have their way. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Paramount and Appian Way Productions are looking to make the cult cartoon series into a feature movie. If Paramount acquires the rights, it will be up to Jono Matt and Scream Queens star Glen Powell to write the script.
With DiCaprio as a big environmentalist his interest in reviving the 1990s cartoon as a movie isn’t that surprising. But don’t expect the recent Oscar winner to dye his hair green and drop into a red-and-blue singlet with a golden earth emblazoned on the chest. That honor may go to Powell who, besides his TV work on Scream Queens, also featured in Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some in early 2016.
Captain Planet and the Planeteers was a series that ran two seasons and centered on five teens from around the world who were given magical rings that had the power to control the natural elements wind, water, fire, earth, and heart. When their powers combine they summon Captain Planet, a superhero who helps them fight against environmental threats.
Rather than rehash the original conceit, Matt and Powell look to be subversive with the material and have the Captain be washed-up and have him call upon the teens for help. This spin on the material could be a good thing, especially if next year’s Mighty Morphin Power Rangers movie ends up being a hit.
But it will be hard to top Don Cheadle as a live-action Captain Planet.
