Pok¨Śmon is getting a live-action film based around Detective Pikachu
Danny DeVito's phone must be blowing up.
The rumours of Pokémon getting a live-action film treatment have solidified as Legendary Entertainment has acquired the rights to turn the franchise into a feature film.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, this movie will be a live-action affair based around Detective Pikachu.
This fluffy gumshoe is a new character in the Pokémon universe that only just premiered this year in the Japan-only 3DS-exclusive spin-off adventure Great Detective Pikachu.
This crime-solving mystery still doesn't have a confirmed western release, though fans were very keen to get Danny DeVito to voice him. In fact, over 50k people signed a petition to strong-arm DeVito and The Pokémon Company into making this happen.
When questioned about this in April, DeVito said "What the f*** is Pokémon?" Ostensibly he now knows, but whether he'd be interested in the role is another matter.
Plans are for the film to go into production in 2017. Universal Pictures will handle its distribution in the west.
Apparently Netflix was vying for claim to Pokémon, which has become more popular than ever following the launch of Pokémon GO earlier this month. Since its US debut 6th July Nintendo's stock has shot up $9bn.
There have already been 19 Pokémon films, though they were all animated and many of which remained exclusive to Japan. In fact, the most recent one, Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Exquisite Magearna, only launched last week over there.
What do you make of Pokémon being adapted into a live-action franchise? It's got to make more sense than the impending Tetris trilogy, amirite?
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