Glen Powell’s Captain Planet Reboot Just Hit A Major Setback
The long-gestating Captain Planet reboot just hit another snag: Glen Powell says it’s no longer in his hands, leaving the eco-hero’s return stuck in limbo.
Glen Powell finally cleared the air on that long-brewing Captain Planet project he was shepherding, and yeah, it is not the update fans were hoping for. The short version: it is out of his hands, and the version he was building is not the one moving forward.
Powell hands off the baton
While doing press for his Hulu series 'Chad Powers,' Powell told Screen Rant he is no longer steering Captain Planet. He was polite but blunt about it:
'That one’s no longer in my hands. Yeah, they’re going to take it and run with it, but yeah, I wish them the best on that one.'
He also said he has loved the character since he was a kid, but the rights situation turned into a pileup: multiple stakeholders, lots of opinions, lots of approvals. Translation: classic Hollywood rights soup.
How we got here
- 1990s: The original cartoon follows a green-mulleted eco-hero teaming with five teens to fight polluters and environmental disaster.
- 2016: Powell becomes attached to a feature film adaptation. Leonardo DiCaprio signs on to produce.
- 2023: Powell says he still wants to see the movie through, sounding confident he can crack it.
- Early 2025: Netflix announces a live-action Captain Planet series, with DiCaprio also producing. That is a TV pivot while the movie stalls.
- Now: In a new interview tied to 'Chad Powers,' Powell confirms he is not the one carrying Captain Planet forward anymore, citing the tangle of rights holders and creative opinions.
So what is actually moving forward?
From Powell’s comments, it sounds like the Netflix series version is the one with traction, not his film. DiCaprio’s name remains in the mix on the producing side, which is a strong signal the brand is still active in Hollywood even if the exact format changed.
Is Powell still involved at all?
Does not sound like it. He emphasized he is no longer steering the project and made it pretty clear he is not the guy writing it or starring in it at this point. Never say never in this town, but plan on a Captain Planet without Powell’s script or face for now.
Inside baseball angle
This is one of those cases where a known IP bounces between formats while the rights map gets ironed out. Powell spent years trying to will a movie into existence, and now a TV series is what looks viable. The character is alive, the iteration just changed lanes.
(First flagged via Screen Rant’s interview; development chatter also surfaced at outlets like SuperHeroHype.)