Top Gun: Maverick star Glen Powell has his sights set on joining the pantheon of cinematic superheroes. But not at Marvel and DC, no, instead Powell is working hard on bringing the super-powered champion of the environment Captain Planet to the big screen. Speaking with ET, Powell revealed that the planned Captain Planet movie is still in development, with the actor and producer Leonardo DiCaprio just as eager as Powell to see it come to fruition.
Powell has been attached to the Captain Planet project since as far back as 2018. While the actor is confident that eventually the movie will happen, it depends on “where all the superhero stuff kind of lands” amid the ongoing restructuring at Warner Bros Pictures.
“I think those conversations will be happening shortly. I know DiCaprio is super passionate about it. I’m super passionate about it. I think it could be great… I want that one to work. I’d love to play that superhero.”
Created by Barbara Pyle and Ted Turner, the original Captain Planet and the Planeteers animated series introduces audiences to a world in peril. Our world. Gaia, the spirit of the Earth, can no longer stand the terrible destruction plaguing our planet and sends five magic rings to five special young people. The rings each possess a different power, Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Heart, which, when combined, call forth Earth’s greatest champion, Captain Planet.
First airing in 1990, Captain Planet and the Planeteers was followed by a sequel series, The New Adventures of Captain Planet, which Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. produced. Both shows are remembered fondly by the 90s kids, with many wondering if we would ever see the property transformed into live-action for the silver screen.
With so much attention now being paid to the climate crisis, and with Glen Powell’s star on the rise thanks to his role in the box office beast that is Top Gun: Maverick, now would be the perfect time for Captain Planet to take flight in theaters.
RELATED: Don Cheadle Reflects on ‘Ridiculous’ Captain Planet Parody Videos
Glen Powell Has Been Fancast for Many Superhero Roles
Paramount Pictures
While he may have high hopes about playing Captain Planet in an adaptation of Captain Planet and the Planeteers, there is always the possibility that the project won’t happen. Particularly with Warner Bros. so readily swinging the axe these days. But, this does not mean that Powell will never join the superhero genre, with the actor often being fancast as several other popular comic book characters.
One such comic book movie role is that of Scott Summer, aka Cyclops, the leader of The X-Men. While Powell has shut down rumors that he has already been offered the role, the actor is flattered to even be considered. “It takes a long time to navigate this town, so for anyone to be like, ‘Oh, he’d be great in this role,’ it’s humbling, it’s great,” Powell added.
Glen Powell can currently be seen sitting in a cockpit once again in the biographical war movie, Devotion, which details the inspirational true story of Jesse Brown, the first Black aviator in U.S. Navy history, and his enduring friendship with fellow fighter pilot Tom Hudner.
