It seems the legend has returned.
Pokemon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution has unveiled its first footage by way of Twitter (h/t ComicBook.com), and it’s enough to trigger warm, fuzzy feelings of nostalgia.
Pitched as a CGI remake of the original classic from ’98, Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution is locked in for a Japanese debut this July – hence today’s foreign language trailer to coincide with the ongoing Pokémon celebrations – by which point fans will be able to take a stroll down memory lane alongside Ash, Pikachu, Misty, and Brock as they prepare for the fight of their lives.
Granted, this teaser trailer doesn’t offer an awful lot; if anything, it simply gives us an inkling of the CG graphics that will be present in Pokemon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution, which may take some getting used to, given the original anime was limited to 2D back in ’98. Still, as far as 20-year celebrations go, this is shaping up to be a pretty special occasion for the Gen 1 Pokémon – Mewtwo included, who was recently confirmed as the villain of Warner’s live-action Detective Pikachu movie.
July 12th is the date Pokémon The Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution is scheduled to release in Japan, though there’s currently no mention of when the CGI remake will make its way west. It’ll likely be some time in 2019, given the Pokémon franchise will soon be firing on all cylinders what with the back-to-back release of Detective Pikachu and Sword and Shield, the newly-unveiled titles for Nintendo Switch.
Rob Letterman and Warner Bros. get the ball rolling with Detective Pikachu in May before Pokémon Sword and Shield close the book on what will be a historic year for the Poké franchise this fall.
