Live-action Captain Planet remake in the works for Netflix

Leonardo DiCaprio is among the EPs of this much-anticipated revival based on the eco-conscious animated franchise from the '90s.
July 18, 2025

The hero who takes pollution down to zero could soon be making a comeback on Netflix. The streamer has reportedly begun development of a live-action Captain Planet series, according to Deadline.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way (which has produced many eco-themed documentaries and the environmental kids film Ozi: Voice of the Forest) is working on this project with Berlanti Productions and WB Television, and the script will be penned by Tara Hernandez (Henry Danger, Young Sheldon).

Captain Planet and the Planeteers is a classic 2D-animated series that aired from 1990 to 1992. DIC Enterprises produced it, with Hanna-Barbera Cartoons stepping in for later seasons and a sequel series called The New Adventures of Captain Planet that ran from 1993 to 1996. Episodes revolved around five teenagers from different continents who used their elemental powers to summon the superhero Captain Planet to fight environmental bad guys and save the world from pollution-related disasters.

Given the franchise’s alignment with his own climate activism, DiCaprio has been attached to a Captain Planet revival for several years, with a live-action movie in development for Paramount as far back as 2016. (Top Gun: Maverick actor Glen Powell, who was attached to that now-scrapped feature, will reportedly not be involved in this new series.) 

DiCaprio is executive producing the Netflix series with Jennifer Davisson on behalf of Appian Way, alongside Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter and Leigh London Redman for Berlanti Productions.

Netflix has shown a lot of interest lately in translating well-known cartoons into new live-action content—Avatar: The Last Airbender performed well and earned a double-season renewal last year. And the streamer is already working with Berlanti on a live-action Scooby-Doo adaptation that scored an eight-episode order back in March. 

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