Pokémon Detective Pikachu is on its way to answer the question of how adorable would Pikachu look in a deerstalker a la Sherlock Holmes (the answer is extremely).
Set firmly in a universe in which Pokémon roam the world, Detective Pikachu centers around Tim, the son of a missing detective, and a pikachu he encounters that he can not only converse with, but who coincidentally desires to be a detective. If you’ve been asleep since the 90s, Pokémon are animal-like creatures ranging in size, variety, and intelligence that are often captured and made to battle each other by their human counterparts and they do not speak other than to say their own name. Despite the peculiarity of being the only person who can understand this particular pikachu, Tim pairs up with his new buddy to find his father.
This sort of modern twist on Harvey stars Justice Smith as Tim (AKA the Jimmy Stewart role). Ryan Reynolds lends his signature wit to the voice of the titular role (but old school fans will be pleased to know that Ikue Ôtani at least makes an appearance as the original voice of Pikachu).
In the driver’s seat, you have Rob Letterman directing, who has been solidly in the realm of children’s films his entire career, most recently bringing us the surprisingly entertaining Goosebumps. A particularly interesting choice is John Mathieson as the director of photography, who has a varied background but includes gritty though visually stunning films like Logan and Gladiator. The trailer certainly indicates that they’ve gone for a neo-noir aesthetic, which Mathieson should excel at. There is also clearly a top notch visual FX team bringing these beloved creatures to life.
Pokémon Detective Pikachu is directed by Rob Letterman and stars Justice Smith, Suki Waterhouse and Ryan Reynolds. It will be released in the US and the UK on the 10th of May 2019. Check international release dates here.
Are you excited for a new Pokémon movie to hit cinemas? Let us know in the comments!
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