Leonardo DiCaprio is teaming with actor Glen Powell (Everybody Wants Some) to bring ’90s cartoon favorite Captain Planet to the big screen. According to the Hollywood Reporter, DiCaprio is set to produce the project under his Appian Way banner and is currently working with Paramount Pictures to secure rights to the original series.
Captain Planet and the Planeteers ran from 1990–1992 and centered on a group of kids with the power to call Captain Planet, an eco-friendly superhero, to fight against environmental evils. It spawned a sequel series, The New Adventures of Captain Planet, that ran until 1996, with the film rights originally acquired by Sony Pictures before expiring. DiCaprio and Paramount were reportedly attracted to Powell’s subversive take on the story, which finds Captain Planet a washed-up has-been who now needs the kids more than they need him.
DiCaprio has made environmental activism a focal point of his public persona, advocating for climate change policies in Oscar speeches and working with the United Nations as a messenger of peace. He also produced Before the Flood, a documentary about the effects of climate change, which premieres Oct. 30 on National Geographic.
