Great news for all the fans of the cute and electrifying Pikachu. Legendary´s Pokemon movie ¨Detective Pikachu¨ has chosen filmmaker Rob Letterman to helm the live-action film franchise. Letterman has a number of children´s favorites under his belt, which include ¨Monsters Vs. Aliens,¨ ¨Goosebumps,¨ and ¨Shark Tale.¨
There are already a total of 19 films released based on Pokemon, but this upcoming franchise may be its biggest yet. The American media company successfully sealed the deal to co-produce the movie at the height of the "Pokemon Go" craze that gained millions of fans globally. Hollywood Reporter reveals that Nintendo and Legendary Entertainment agreed to set a different storyline, inspired by the augmented reality game "Pokemon Go."
The American studio handpicked Nicole Perlman and Alex Hirsch to script the project. In the Pokemon universe, the beloved Pikachu will not just be the chubby rodent Pokémon pet of Ash. Pikachu plays a detective role, but other details on the plot are being kept under wraps for now.
According to Deadline, Legendary´s distribution partner, Universal Pictures, will take care of the film's distribution in territories outside of Japan. While Toho will handle the franchise distribution in Japan.
Letterman's film subjects make him a perfect fit for the highly-anticipated Pokemon live-action movie. The film director has been a part of DreamWorks Animation with the success of ¨Los Gringos¨, ¨Shrek¨and Gulliver's Travels. It was a perfect decision for the two giants to land a director who has mastered both animation and live action films.
Right after the announcement was made, the initial plan is to start production next year. Legendary Entertainment even intends to fast-track the project when possible.
