Despite his apparently amazing powers, superhero Captain Planet has had more trouble making his way to the big screen than he has battling polluters. Now noted environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio wants to help, entering talks for his production company to grab the rights to the show alongside Paramount.
The show, which ran in cartoon form from 1990 to 1992, saw Earth spirit Gaia bestowing magical rings on five teenagers. Each ring represents a different life force: African Kwame gets earth; Wheeler, from North America, has fire; Linka, a Russian, controls wind; Asian Gi has water; and South American Ma-Ti gets heart. Together, they can summon Captain Planet, and just hope for everyone's sake they don't get this version{
Producer Don Murphy, who has helped shepherd the likes of Transformers to cinemas, was first approached back in 2011 about Planet. Sony took on the job at first, with Mark Gordon stepping aboard to also work on it. But since 2013, it has lingered in development, and Sony let the rights lapse. DiCaprio, likely seeking a method to get his message across to a younger audience, had his Appian Way team look into the idea. And they're already in talks with writer Jono Matt and writer/actor partner Glen Powell to work on the script based on a pitch by the pair that would set the story years after the show's time, with the good Captain a washed-up has-been who needs the kids' help to get back to his former glory.