Pokemon has exploded in 2016, from the re-release (or, re-re-re-release, frankly) of the original Kanto saga, Pokemon Go, and the upcoming Sun, Moon, and Detective Pikachu games. And the collectible monsters still aren’t finished with us. Fans may have heard that Legendary Entertainment is planning a live-action movie based on Detective Pikachu. Legendary acquired the rights to the franchise shortly after Pokemon Go’s release. The movie project is officially moving forward now, as the lead writers have been chosen: Nicole Perlman (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Alex Hirsch (Gravity Falls) will head the scripting.
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Gravity Falls, which released back in 2012, quickly became one of the most critically acclaimed animated series of the time. The concluding episode aired in February earlier this year. Meanwhile, Guardians of the Galaxy, 2014, cashed in at over $700 million at the box office. With the talent behind these two entertainment greats at the helm, the new Detective Pikachu movie’s destiny seems to be in very good hands. Perlman is also tasked with penning Captain Marvel and the next Sherlock Holmes films.
With Legendary producing the flick, distribution rights in Japan fall to The Pokemon Company’s collaborator Toho, while regions outside of Japan will receive it via the trustworthy hands of Universal Pictures. No acting talent, plot details, or (obviously) release date have yet been revealed, whether it be next year or the year after. The jump from animation to live action is a bold move for a series like Pokemon, which exists so naturally in its brightly-colored format, and the movie’s success may depend in large part on how well-executed the transition is.
Will the movie be a super effective critical hit, or will it faint from a one-hit KO? Leave a comment and let us know your predictions, and remember to check back at The Nerd Stash for more movie coverage!
