Captain Planet was one of the cheesiest shows to come across TV in the early 90s. But it's also one of my favorites! Of all the old 'toons getting mined for movie adaptations, I'm bummed that a live-action CP flick hasn't happened yet.
Obviously, some changes would need to be made. The kids might need to be a bit older and more..."appealing". And the villains might need to be a bit "darker." With that in mind, I still tried to keep as much of the original spirit in here as possible. With superhero movies all the rage these days, (and environmental documentaries popping up left and right), the time seems right for the blue guy's big screen debut!
GAIA.......Vanessa Williams
Gaia is the spirit of Earth, and it is she who calls upon the Planeteers to save our planet. She is supposed to be ambiguous, or an amalgamation of races, but her features are predominately dark. Williams has the look, age and beauty to play this mother-like character.
KWAME........Lee Thompson Young
Kwame controls the ring of Earth. He has strong convictions, and keeps the group focused. You know him as the "Let our powers combine!" guy. Guess that makes him the unofficial leader of the group. Lee Thompson has a strong presence that could make this character more interesting.
WHEELER.......Jared Padalecki
Wheeler's ring of Fire reflects his heated personality. He's the fighting spirit of the group, but he is also good humored. The nature of the cartoon never let Wheeler be as edgy as he needed to be. Jared could pull this off. Also, this is how you bring girls to the theater!
LINKA........Blake Lively
...And this is how you get guys to the theater! Linka controls the Wind ring, and also may be the smartest of the group. She's logical, a quick thinker, and good with computers. Isn't Blake Lively, too? But all we really need to know is Wheeler has the hots for her. She pretends she doesn't like it. Such fun
GIE............Keiko Kitagawa
Gie's ring masters the element of Water. Athletic, informed and well-connected, she is also very passionate. Where exactly in Asia she's from is never specified, so casting her was pretty open. Keiko is a young Japanese cutie that would look great sporting short shorts ;)
MA-TI.............Brandon Baker
Ma-Ti has the, ahem "Heart" ring. Stop laughing. It's cool! He's essentially a telepath, and can even push thoughts and actions (Never for evil unfortunately).
What made Ma-Ti lame was he was the most sensitive and compassionate of the kids. Brandon Baker, I'm sorry.
"By your powers combined..." wait for it....
CAPTAIN PLANET...........Armie Hammer
Boom. That just happened. Seriously, in theory, Captain Planet is as strong as Superman (except for that pesky pollution weakness thing). The show was very loose in defining his abilities, so drawing from Earth, Fire, Water and Wind he could almost do anything you could think of.
I think Captain Planet should be elemental, and I liked what Watchmen did with Dr. Manhattan as an example. Tying back with Gaia, Captain Planet should be spirit, or godlike. The Social Network star just looks like a superhero- hopefully Hammer can bring some credibility to a dude who rocked a green-haired mullet.
The ECO-VILLAINS
Can we make these guys more awesome please?
PLUNDER...............Mark Strong
Looten Plunder is arguably the easiest villain to use because he's the most realistic. Captain Planet's version of Lex Luthor, Plunder is a wealthy business man, who represents the evils of capitalism. He poaches, he exploits, he manipulates. He could be awesome, as villain MVP Mark Strong.
ARGOS BLEEK
Leads Plunder's private army and does his dirty work. Tough, threatening, and loyal to boot. Kevin Durand would be a natural.
GREEDLY...............Ethan Suplee
Hoggish Greedly is a wicked and obese man, with very pig-like characteristics. He's CP's first villain, and probably the one most often used. He represents overconsumption, and of course, greed. Ethan Suplee has lost weight, but he's still my go-to big guy for this crude, careless baddie. Depending on how big we want him, we can look at 'X-Men Origins' Blob for inspiration.
RIGGER
Greedly's bone-headed, henchman. John Hawkes has the look, but could add a little more menace to the character.
BLIGHT................Yvonne Strahovski
Dr. Barbara Blight is a sadist and mad scientist with no regard for life whatsoever. A lot of storylines can come from her evil experiments. She represents the dangers of uncontrolled technology. If there's anyone I want trying out this dark side, it's Yvonne Strahovski!
MAL
Dr. Blight's "henchman" is a supercomputer. Obviously inspired by "2001: A Space Odyssey"'s HAL, any recent take on CPU A.I. (Gerty from "Moon") will do. I'd like the show's voice actor, Tim Curry, to reprise the role!
NUKEM...............Brian Thompson
Duke Nukem had a radiation accident that makes his skin look like dried nuclear waste. Take a guess what hazards he represents. Without a doubt, the strongest Eco-villain, most of his plots involve depleting resources to recharge himself (he's a living battery), and he is the only villain who can fight Captain Planet toe to toe. Look at the mug on Brian. You're hired! Also hired: The team that put together The Thing makeup for Fantastic Four. Problem solved.
LEADSUIT
Duke Nukem's cowardly accomplice. He's gotta wear the suit for protection. Andy Serkis should be a natural. Design-wise, I liked the gear worn in 2006's "Silent Hill".
SKUMM...................Jeff Goldblum
Verminous Skumm is a mutant man-rat who's m.o. normally involves drugs and/or crime. He is somewhat of a terrorist, and is often seen ruling a criminal underworld. The 7-foot rodent thing would be hard to explain, but WETA's effects team would help us forget. Naturally tall, Jeff Goldblum (original actor) is my only choice for the role.
SLUDGE...................Lee Arenberg
Sly Sludge is the con man with the get-rich quick schemes. He characterizes ignorance, and almost exclusively deals in trash and waste. The name says it all- when I think Sludge I think about the entertainingly gross Lee Arenberg from the 'Pirates' movies.
OOZE
Sly Sludge's henchman who is dumber than Rigger, and with a worse name. Cheers Doug Jones. It's yours if you want it
ZARM.................Dominic West
Zarm was the former spirit of Earth, and is essentially a god of war. He is concerned with power, strength, and deceit, and basically forces man to destroy themselves, letting only the strong survive. As a spirit, he has been known to move about space and time with ease, and can even possess bodies. Yea, Zarm is hardcore. Dominic West commands authority.
There you have it. As many CP characters as I can think of who made regular appearances. Thanks for reading if you made it this far. And Hollywood, if you're interested give me a call. I'm sure I can wrangle these guys up for ya!
;P