The multimedia Pokémon empire has been embedded into the fabric of popular culture for well over two decades, but despite spawning 22 animated movies, it wasn’t until last year’s Detective Pikachu that the colorful cast of creatures were given the live-action treatment, and even then, fans were confused as to why one of the lesser known video games was chosen as the one ripe for adaptation.
Any concerns were swiftly dispelled, though, by the reliable presence of Ryan Reynolds voicing the title character, and Detective Pikachu would go on to continue the genre’s recent renaissance by bringing in over $430 million at the box office to become the second highest-grossing video game movie ever made. Not only that, but a 68% score on Rotten Tomatoes also made it the first title to receive widespread critical acclaim, cementing itself as the best-reviewed game-to-movie translation in history for good measure.
A sequel was announced to be in development before the first installment had even been released, and we’re now hearing from our sources – the same ones that told us Neve Campbell would be returning for Scream 5 and Ben Affleck had signed on for The Flash – that Warner Bros. plan for Ryan Reynolds to feature in the various spinoffs that are in development as the studio looks to build a Pokémon shared universe.
According to our intel, not only are WB keen to make a proper follow-up to the first film, but several Pokémon spinoffs set in the same world have also been discussed behind the scenes, and Reynolds will feature in at least a few of them. Of course, the Detective Pikachu sequel is just one of the thirteen movies that the actor currently has in the works, meaning he’s got an awful lot to do before he can even consider the idea of multiple future appearances in the franchise. But rest assured, he plans on remaining in the world of Pokémon for a while yet.
