Leonardo DiCaprio to make Captain Planet film
Actor teams up with Paramount to bring environmental cartoon superhero to the big screen
Leonardo DiCaprio is set to tackle climate change with a superhero movie based on the 1990s' cartoon Captain Planet, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
It's not the first time the Oscar-winning actor has focussed on the environment. His climate change documentary Before the Flood was screened at President Barack Obama's South by South Lawn Festival earlier this month.
Now he's taking the fight to the next level with a superhero who aims to take pollution down to zero, his Appian Way Productions teaming up with Paramount to make the film.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Hollywood Reporter says talks are ongoing for the rights to the cartoon series and that the team want Jono Matt (Sons of Anarchy) and Glen Powell (Scream Queens) to write the script. DiCaprio would most likely focus on a producing role rather than acting.
Captain Planet and the Planeteers, which ran from 1990 to 1992, focused on five clean-cut young people given magical rings by Earth goddess Gaia so they could control the natural elements earth, fire, water and wind, as well as a mysterious non-element known as "heart".
United, the Planeteers could summon Captain Planet, a green superhero who helped them fight eco-villains and environmental crimes.
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"content_original","fid":"102178","attributes":{"class":"media-image"}}]]
Fans are thrilled by the idea of a big-screen adaptation.
Sources suggest DiCaprio's team might take a more subversive angle than the original. The story is said take place years after the show, with the Captain a washed-up has-been who needs his sidekicks more than they need him.
The idea sounds potentially very funny, says Cheryl Eddy on Gizmodo. However: "It'll take some serious superheroics to best the classic Funny or Die Captain Planet sketch."
The clip, featuring a green-tinted, bewigged and foul-mouthed Don Cheadle, sees a deranged Captain Planet turn to the dark side and kill people by turning them into trees.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - November 2, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - anti-fascism, early voter turnout, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Geoff Capes obituary: shot-putter who became the World’s Strongest Man
In the Spotlight The 'mighty figure' was a two-time Commonwealth Champion and world-record holder
By The Week UK Published
-
Israel attacks Iran: a 'limited' retaliation
Talking Point Iran's humiliated leaders must decide how to respond to Netanyahu's measured strike
By The Week UK Published
-
2024 Best Picture nominees back when they were books
The Week Recommends Every great movie has to start somewhere
By Scott Hocker, The Week US Published
-
2024 Golden Globe nominations predictions: Will Barbenheimer dominate?
In Depth Plus: Which films will be nominated in a new category honoring blockbusters?
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
The best movies about Wall Street
Seven Wall Street films worth investing in
By Brendan Morrow Published
-
Sport on TV guide: Christmas 2022 and New Year listings
Speed Read Enjoy a feast of sporting action with football, darts, rugby union, racing, NFL and NBA
By Mike Starling Published
-
House of the Dragon: what to expect from the Game of Thrones prequel
Speed Read Ten-part series, set 200 years before GoT, will show the incestuous decline of Targaryen
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published
-
One in 20 young Americans identify as trans or non-binary
Speed Read New research suggests that 44% of US adults know someone who is transgender
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Turner Prize 2022: a ‘vintage’ shortlist?
Speed Read All four artists look towards ‘growth, revival and reinvention’ in their work
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
What’s on TV this Christmas? The best holiday television
Speed Read From films and documentaries to musicals for all the family
By The Week Staff Published