The Power is Leo’s: DiCaprio Reportedly Producing Live Action ‘Captain Planet’ Film

Let his Academy Award powers combine!

According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, Oscar winner and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio is set to produce a live action film based on Captain Planet and The Planeteers.

The publisher states that Paramount is in negotiations to acquire the rights to the franchise, and if they’re able to, the film will be helmed by DiCaprio’s Appian Way Productions.

A Captain Planet film was previously in the works at Sony, but was mired in developmental hell for several years before that studio lost the rights. According to reports, Paramount/Appian became interested after reading a script from longtime writer Jono Matt (Doctor Doolittle, Above the Line) and actor Glen Powell (Scream Queens, Everybody Wants Some) that had a subversive take 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,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Captain Planet and The Planeteers was an early nineties cartoon series that depicted five teenagers equipped with super-powered rings who would travel the world fighting pollution-based super-villains and tackling social issues. When the threats became too great, the teens were able to combine their powers to summon the titular superhero Captain Planet.

The project seems to be a natural for DiCaprio to back, considering his longtime environmental activism, including criticism of global warming deniers.