The big-screen adaptation of Captain Planet will be based on a screenplay by actor Glen Powell (Scream Queens, Set It Up, Hidden Figures, the upcoming Top Gun sequel). The screenwriter recently sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to provide some insight on the film.
Captain Planet and the Planeteers was an American animated environmentalist television program that was broadcasted on TBS from September 15th, 1990, to December 5th, 1992. Only one year later, in 1993, it was revived by a sequel series named The New Adventures of Captain Planet - which was produced by Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. (Scooby Doo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons). The franchise has since branched out into film, video games, and comic books.
Powell mentioned that he was a fan of the early run of Captain Planet before discussing its subsequent follow-ups, specifically the 1996 film which never saw the light of day but was set to be a more realistic spin on the campy cartoon series:
I mean, they've tried to make it into a superhero movie before, but they kind of did like an earnest take and ours is way more subversive and fun and like dark and irreverent. Sometimes you have to think of these things logically. If you have a blue superhero with a green mullet, you can't do like an earnest take on that. You have to go at it from a fun [direction].
The original series saw Gaia, the spirit of the planet, assemble a diverse team of "planeteers," who are able to combine their powers to summon an elemental warrior that takes on the appearance of superhero Captain Planet. He works with the planeteers to defend Earth from pollution caused by criminals and villains.
It'll be interesting to see how the final product comes together for sure. Powell mentioned how he is and has been hard at work on the script for quite a while: “It’s been an interesting process and it’s taken a long time, but now we’re getting that up and going and we’re really stoked about it," one can only hope that his efforts will pay of.
What do you think of Powell's comments? Are you looking forward to the cinematic adaptation of Captain Planet and the Planeteers?