Captain Planet movie is coming out and for those who lived through the ‘90s would understand just how big of a deal this is. The Captain Planet and the Planeteers was an animated cartoon that ran from 1990 to 1996. Five teenagers have been given the power by earth goddess Gaia to summon a superhero–through a combination of the elements like fire, earth, water, wind and heart—to avert an ecological disaster. The series underscores the need for recycling and upcycling, as well as to do our part in protecting the environment.
What You Need To Know About The New Captain Planet Movie
It’s an ecologically-themed animated cartoon. It was pretty much a product of its time. Right after the 1988 presidential election, for instance, the environment was the top concern by the American voters. There was the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, and CFCs were a still thing.
Here are four things I know so far about Captain Planet the movie:
1. Produced with the help Leonardo DiCaprio
Image via RT
The Captain Planet movie got a much-needed boost, and legitimacy, when Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company, Appian Way, signed on to produce the film. DiCaprio had signed a first-look deal with Paramount a while back, and this is a result of that deal. Of course, we all know about DiCaprio’s foundation which funds environmental projects so this is right up his alley.
2. The Captain Planet movie writer is an actor himself
Image via MTV
Glen Powell is one of the co-writers of Captain Planet movie, along with Jono Matt. Powell has appeared on The Scream Queens recently, but his movie bio is quite thick. Among his movies are Ride Along 2, Dark Knight Rises, The Expendables 3 and The Bad Guys. As a writer, he penned the short movie, J.A.W., along with Jesse Williams of Breaking Bad.
3. The teenagers are now grown up
Image via Playbuzz
The details are sketchy right now, but rumors are saying the Captain Planet movie will take place a few years from the timeline of the cartoons. It would mean the teenagers are now all grown up. Captain Planet, meanwhile, has seen his best behind him and badly needs the kids to come together again so his powers will be revived. For those who have no idea of the kids in the above photo: they are Gi from Thailand (water), Kwame from Africa (earth), Wheeler from Brooklyn (fire), Mati from South America (heart) and Linka from the Soviet Union (wind).
4. Captain Planet movie was almost never made
Image via Animation Fascination
We might not even have seen a Captain Planet movie if the rights had remained with Sony, which sat on production for a long time. But it was picked up by Paramount, which seems bent on seeing the movie through. It’s not clear at this point if Captain Planet would be “CGI” just like the recent Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
P.S. the photo above is Don Cheadle playing Captain Planet in a Funny or Die sketch. Here’s the link if you are interested. And no, War Machine is not going to trade his mech suit for spandex.
There’s also a fanmade clip from Just Another Production Productions for a Captain Planet movie. Watch the video below:
More than ever, the Captain Planet movie, is well-timed, with the world dealing with the effects of Climate Change. The hurricanes are getting stronger, earthquakes are getting more frequent, and there’s flooding everywhere. What I need are five teenagers with the power to combine their rings and summon a blue man with green hair who can fly.
Are you a movie geek? Then, here’s what you should read next. I must admit, I’m excited for the new Captain Planet movie to hit the big screens. Are you thrilled too? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Featured Image via screen rant
