Eager to strike while the iron is piping hot, Legendary Pictures is reportedly circling a deal for a live-action Pokemon movie.
Word comes by way of Deadline, revealing that the studio is on the verge of landing the rights to the über-popular Japanese RPG – a franchise that has muscled its way back into the mainstream thanks to the groundbreaking success of AR (Augmented Reality) mobile title, Pokemon Go. Keep in mind that Legendary is yet to finalize said agreement – neither the studio nor Pokemon USA offered to comment on the report – though Deadline does note that early signs bear promise.
With Hollywood pushing full steam ahead on video game movie adaptations – Assassin’s Creed, Tomb Raider and even Watch Dogs are each simmering in varying stages of development – a live-action Pokemon film would certainly prove to be a major coup for Legendary. Perhaps more than anything, the palpable impact that Go has had not only on Nintendo’s share prices (they witnessed a 25 percent leap soon after the app debuted earlier this month) but the wider gaming community irrefutably prove that, two decades on since the Big N first unleashed its Pocket Monsters, the strength of the Pokemon brand remains as strong as ever.
Developed by Niantic, Go is yet to roll out internationally due to server woes, though the pent-up demand is a stark reminder of how much impact the application has enjoyed.
And now, it’s resulted in a renewed drive for a live-action Pokemon movie. Whether Legendary’s interest in the property bears any fruit remains to be seen, with negotiations still ongoing. Nevertheless, we’ll keep you posted as this story develops.