Legendary’s live-action Detective Pikachu movie has been earmarked for a production start in London sometime next year, and let’s just say the studio is aiming for the stars when it comes to casting that chubby, yet oddly lovable rodent.
Based on The Pokémon Company’s Great Detective Pikachu video game, we’re now learning that the pic has chosen none other than Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) to voice the titular character. He’ll join Justice Smith and Kathryn Newton in the film and from what we understand, it’ll be a blend of CGI and live-action.
Of course, Reynolds won’t actually be seen on screen at any point, given that he’s just lending his voice, but still, his charm and charisma will definitely come through and should ensure that audiences get themselves into theaters for this one. After all, this is the first time that Detective Pikachu will be seen communicating with humans in a live-action setting, and it’s no secret that Legendary’s banking on both the runaway success of Pokémon GO and now, Reynolds’ recognizable voice to sell tickets.
That being said, the video game movie has been a notoriously difficult nut to crack. Many have tried and failed to repackage a pixelated hit into a solid, compelling film – think Assassin’s Creed and Super Mario Bros. – but Legendary brass can be confident in the knowledge that Nintendo’s electrifying little critter will resonate with children, as he’s done since 1996.
Behind the lens for Detective Pikachu is Rob Letterman, who already has some knowledge about toying with an established property thanks to his time on Sony’s Goosebumps reboot. He’ll be working from a script penned by Nicole Perlman, who previously contributed to Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel for the folks at Marvel Studios.
With Reynolds now in place, it looks like the casting is really starting to take shape and as always, we’ll be sure to bring you more as soon as we have it.
