The live-action reboot of the TBS animated action-adventure series Captain Planet and the Planeteers is officially moving to Netflix. Apparently the development of this project became quite competitive, but Netflix ultimately landed the deal.
Captain Planet might not be the most popular superhero around, but he has a loyal fanbase of followers. The TBS series became a cult favorite and ran for six seasons (over 100 episodes) on broadcast and syndication from September 1990 to December 1996. The cartoon revolved a group of five heroes, the Planeteers. After being gifted magical rings by the Earth spirit, Gaia, the Planeteers did their best to protect the environment and would occasionally combine their powers to summon the titular superhero Captain Planet. A significant reason behind Captain Planet's popularity is because the show wasn't just a superhero cartoon. In addition to being entertaining, the series seriously advocated for environmentalism and education.
Deadline reports that the series will hail from Greg Berlanti's Berlanti Productions and Leonardo DiCaprio's Appian Way, plus Warner Bros. Television, whom Berlanti has been working with for years. Some of Berlanti's other productions include The CW's former DCTV block featuring shows like Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, and Supergirl, but he's also known for executive producing Riverdale. And he's producing Netflix's live-action Scooby-Doo adaptation.
Tara Hernandez, the co-creator and executive producer of Peacock series Mrs. Davis, will write the upcoming adaptation.
Interestingly, DiCaprio and his company have tried to get a Captain Planet adaptation made in the past. Appian Way set up a deal in 2016 for a feature with Glen Powell set to co-write the script and potentially star. But the project never came to fruition and the rights eventually reverted to Warner Bros. Discovery. DiCaprio himself and his Appian Way colleague Jennifer Davisson will executive produce the Netflix show with Berlanti's company.
If you're raising an eyebrow at DiCaprio's involvment—what might a big A-list, Oscar-winning movie star be doing with a Netflix superhero show?—remember that DiCaprio is a hugely outspoken environmentalist. His company has made an abundance of environmental-focused projects, producing documentaries like Virunga, Fin, We Go Green, and the animated series Ozi: Voice of the Forest.
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