Netflix’s next video game adaptation could very well prove to be its most lucrative yet. As revealed yesterday in a report by Variety, the streaming service has made a deal with The Pokémon Company which will see it produce and release an exclusive series based on the world-famous franchise. While details surrounding the project remain slim due to it still being in its infancy, Lucifer executive producer Joe Henderson is said to be assuming that same role for the upcoming live-action adventure.
Official confirmation is still forthcoming (Variety notes that neither Netflix nor Henderson responded to a request to comment), then, but social media has naturally been blowing up following the leak, with fans worldwide attempting to theorize what the show will entail besides presumably using the same or similar CGI technology responsible for bringing Detective Pikachu to the big screen.
As far as story beats are concerned, it’s not clear if the protagonist of the anime, Ash Ketchum, will make an appearance, though if he does, the character’s original voice actor is apparently already eager to hold talks with showrunners. Responding to the report on Twitter, she simply said: “I am available”.
For many fans of a certain age, Taylor’s voice is synonymous with Professor Oak’s protégé, and while she would eventually depart the role in 2006 following 4Kids’ loss of the rights to dub English-language versions of the series, seeing her return to voice Ash in a brand-new iteration would provide powerful nostalgia fuel, to say the least.
Ultimately, nobody can say with any certainty what shape Netflix’s Pokémon venture will entail, but we’ll be sure to keep you posted of any and all developments going forward, so watch this space.
