In an incredibly unexpected turn for Oscar winning actor Leonardo DiCaprio, it seems he might be involved in a live action remake of the 1990s superhero series Captain Planet.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Paramount are in the talks of acquiring the rights to the 90s television series Captain Planet by teaming up with Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions in the hopes of producing a live-action remake. If successful, it is most likely DiCaprio will take the role of Producer. It is also been reported that Scream Queens star Glenn Powell and Sons of Anarchy writer Jono Matt are being considered to write the screen play that will centre around a washed-up superhero who returns to the city in the attempt to save the planet and bring the pollution back to zero.
For those who don’t remember, Captain Planet (originally called Captain Planet and the Planeteers) was an animated television series that ran from 1990-1996. It chronicled the adventures of a group of teenagers who worked together to encourage environmentally responsible behaviour. They were given magical rings that could control the natural elements and when they were all together they were able to summon Captain Planet, a superhero who helped deal with the ecological disasters. Despite its six year running time, the series wasn’t very popular and was certainly not well received. It’s fairly safe to say that children would much rather see their superheroes fighting the big bad villains, whilst destroying buildings and blowing up cars, both of which are not so environmentally friendly.
Leonardo DiCaprio is known for his ongoing interest in environmental sustainability and has spent many years working as an environmental activist. He has worked as executive producer on a number of environmental documentaries such as the most recent Before the Flood (2016) and The Ivory Game (2016). It couldn’t be more appropriate then for DiCaprio to produce a Captain Planet movie. It would certainly be a new direction for cinema and DiCaprio, who despite working with some of the worlds biggest directors, has never entered the franchise game before.
No doubt it will be a darker and grittier take on the animated series, but most importantly and what everyone wants to know, who will play the gallant Captain Planet? Could it possibly be DiCaprio himself? It would seem rather appropriate considering he is simultaneously the earths biggest movie star and fan. Playing the Villain may not be out of the question either either, with DiCaprio having been known to take on the antagonist roles from time to time. Also on everyone’s minds is whether the original voices of Captain Planet and the Planeteers will return. Among those were: Whoopi Goldberg; Meg Ryan; James Coburn; Martin Sheen; Jeff Goldblum and Sting.
This could be the finest example of star power moving towards an environmental message as the young generation is rallied to join the fight to save the planet.
Now that DiCaprio has an Oscar under his belt, can he turn Captain Planet into a profitable live-action franchise? Or is it simply the worlds lamest superhero?
Let us know in the comments!
