Legendary Entertainment and The Pokemon Company have announced that they're launching a live-action franchised based on Detective Pikachu, a relatvely new character in this universe who has so far been seen only in a Japanese video game. This isn't exactly the sort of Pokemon movie fans were expecting to see, and a million miles from the Ash Ketchum adventure many have envisioned.
Story details about Detective Pikachu are being kept under wraps, but the movie is being fast-tracked for a production start in 2017. First introduced in Japan in 1996, Pokémon has delighted fans of all ages around the world for two decades. With more than 279 million video games sold worldwide, 21.5 billion TCG cards shipped to 74 countries, and an animated series spanning 19 seasons, Pokémon is one of the most successful entertainment brands in the world, so this movie has a ton of potential.
Universal Pictures will handle distribution of the live-action film outside Japan as it has done with Legendary’s other films for years. The Pokémon Company’s long time movie collaborator, Toho, will handle distribution of the film franchise in Japan. Do you think this movie sounds like a good idea?