MUMBAI: US kids broadcaster Cartoon Network has signed a development agreement with action-adventure producer Don Murphy and partner Susan Montford and their company Angry Filmworks to develop a film based on the environment-saving animated hero, Captain Planet and the Planeteers.
The announcement was made by Turner Broadcasting System‘s Animation Young Adults and Kids Media division (AYAKM) president and COO Stuart Snyder. The agreement gives Murphy and his company the rights to develop and package the property and advance it towards production.
Murphy and Angry Filmworks made the Transformers franchise.. Murphy and Montford together produced the upcoming Hugh Jackman blockbuster‘Real Steel‘ with executive producer Steven Spielberg. The company also is responsible for action-oriented films as Shoot‘Em Up (2007), The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003), Apt Pupil (1998) and Natural Born Killers (1994). Angry Filmworks formed in 1998.
Snyder said,"The messages of Captain Planet are even more relevant today. We feel this team can bring the world‘s first eco-hero to life in a powerful motion picture that is not only pertinent but entertaining."
Murphy said,"We are extremely excited about bringing the good Captain back to life. His adventures are known worldwide and he is recognized across generations. We expect to make a spectacular series of films with the amazing team at Cartoon Network."
In an effort to inform younger viewers about serious environmental issues, legendary cable entrepreneur Ted Turner partnered with DIC Enterprises in 1990 to create the world‘s first animated environmental series, Captain Planet and the Planeteers. The series was about a group of young people who combine their special powers (The Planeteers) to summon Captain Planet, an environmental superhero, to battle the world‘s worst eco-villains.
Captain Planet and the Planeteers premiered in 1990, airing domestically and internationally in syndication and on cable networks TBS and TNT. Six seasons of the series were produced in the original run of the series, featuring the voice talents of multiple guest celebrities, including Whoopi Goldberg (Gaia), Meg Ryan (Dr. Blight), Martin Sheen (Sly Sludge), Edward Asner (Hoggish Greedly), James Coburn (Looten Plunder), Dean Stockwell (Duke Nukem) and Sting (Zarm). Winning multiple Environmental Media Awards across its production, Captain Planet and the Planeteers also got several Daytime Emmy nominations.
