It makes sense that 1990s cartoon Captain Planet would lure Leonardo DiCaprio into the superhero realm; after all, he’s an outspoken environmentalist. But Leo won’t star in this one — he’ll be producing — and, in keeping with the cheesy nostalgia factor of the original material, it won’t be a typical superhero movie.
The Hollywood Reporter notes that if Paramount can snag the Captain Planet rights, DiCaprio’s production company, Appian Way, is looking to hire Glen Powell (one of few funny parts of Scream Queen) and his writing partner, Jono Matt, to pen the screenplay. THR also reminds us that Captain Planet has been kicking around Hollywood for a while:
Captain Planet and the Planeteers was a TV show that aired from September 1990 to December 1992. It centered on five young people from around the world who were given magical rings that had the power to control natural elements. United, they can summon Captain Planet, a superhero who helps them fight against environmental evils.
The project was previously in development at Sony but the rights lapsed. One thing intriguing to Paramount and Appian Way was the subversive take by Matt and Powell on the material: Sources say the story takes place years after the adventures of the show, with the Captain now a washed-up has-been who needs the kids more than they need him.
OK. That sounds potentially very funny. But it will take some serious superheroics to best this now-classic Funny or Die sketch, starring an amazingly bewigged and foul-mouthed Don Cheadle.