Leonardo DiCaprio is producing a new Captain Planet movie
There's a headline we didn't expect to write
Leonardo DiCaprio thinks big. Now that he has his Oscar, the actor, heart-throb and meme machine has set himself a new task that should be somewhat more of a challenge than having his ass handed to him by a cartoon bear. He wants to save the goddamn world.
He's already launched his climate change documentary Before the Flood, but how to reach that pesky millennial audience quadrant, that demands its movies gif-able and never to leave the comforting embrace of childhood?
Simple - reboot Captain Planet!
DiCaprio's production company Appian Way has announced that work has begun on a new version of Captain Planet and the Planeteers, the Nineties cartoon that saw an international group of racial stereotypes come together to fight the forces of greed, intolerance and environmental exploitation.
If you were born in the Eighties, there's a good chance you have fond memories of the show - but does it hold up? Well, here's their sensitive and thoughtful take on the Northern Ireland conflict, raging at the time:
We look forward to the Planeteers showing up in Raqqa...
But could we be snarking too soon? The original show was surprisingly sincere in its environmental message - given the political polarisation that's occurred in the US it's actually a bold move to be pressing forward with a reboot. Talk Radio and Fox News are going to have a field day with this one. The original series also featured a surprisingly starry supporting cast, including everyone from Whoopi Goldberg to Jeff Golblum to Martin Sheen, presumably the result of favours being called in by its co-creator, the media mogul Ted Turner.
As for casting, it's far too early to even speculate, but one name stood out - the new version is being co-written by Glen Powell, one of the break-out stars of Richard Linklater's fantastic Everybody Wants Some!!. Which is nice.
Until then, we only have this make do with:
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