Powell might be Hollywood’s current golden boy, but he didn’t get there on his all-American good looks alone. No, when Powell was working his way up the ladder, he realized that writing his own projects could help him as an actor; per a profile in The Hollywood Reporter, he even sold a few things early in his career that never got made. But after managing to break out in the movies of the last few years, Glen Powell the writer has taken the fore: he co-wrote the crowd pleaser Hit Man with Richard Linklater and is a writer on his upcoming comedy series Chad Powers. According to that THR profile, he’s been writing a Broadway musical, and he’s got a Captain Planet script that’s currently stuck in development hell. “I’m very, very passionate about Captain Planet. I want that one to get made,” he told IndieWire last year. “And I feel like we have a very, very strong way into that world and something that I think the world wants to see, but the people that own that property have other ideas and other plans, and that’s fine.” Umm, have they seen Barbie? Let Glen Powell make a Captain Planet!
That said, Powell’s dance card is quite full at the moment, with upcoming projects including Edgar Wright’s The Running Man and J.J. Abrams’ next big blockbuster. Last month, it was announced he would star in the sci-fi film The Natural Order, with Barry Jenkins in talks to direct. He’s collecting a tidy collection of A-list directors for himself, with Apatow joining as yet another feather in Powell’s cap.
