The Pokemon Detective Pikachu Sequel movie is officially moving forward. Portlandia co-creator Jonathan Krisel is in negotiations to direct the sequel to Legendary Entertainment’s 2019 box office hit, with Chris Galletta writing the script.
Detective Pikachu follows Pokemon trainer Tim Goodman (Ryan Reynolds) on a quest to find his father with the help of the titular electric mouse. The film was a massive success, pulling in more than $433 million at the global box office.
Plot
The sequel to the first Pokemon Detective Pikachu will continue the story of the intelligent, talking pocket monster and human partner. Tim and Pikachu join forces to solve mysteries in Ryme City, a town where humans and Pokemon coexist without battles or trainers.
As the movie progresses, it is revealed that Tim’s father Harry was actually a police officer who was killed in a car accident. The reason Tim could hear Pikachu speak was that Mewtwo transferred Harry’s consciousness into the creature to save his life.
The movie’s end sees the villain Howard Clifford (Bill Nighy) reveal his plan to fuse all of Ryme City’s citizens with their own Pokemon using the R serum he created from Mewtwo. The trio then travel to the lab where Laurent worked and access holographic video records of his activities. They discover that he was working for the same people who were trying to capture Mewtwo. From here, the film climaxes in a rushed finale filled with cliched thriller “twists” that fool no one.
Cast
The 2019 live-action movie adapted from the hit Pokemon game and TV series was a surprise smash hit. The film was a bit of a risk, but it paid off with a huge box office haul and a 68% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes.
The original movie starred Justice Smith as Pokemon trainer Tim Goodman, who moves to Ryme City, where humans and Pokemon coexist peacefully. He befriends a deerstalker-clad Pikachu, who is a police officer only he can hear speak.
Rumors have it that Portlandia creator Jonathan Krisel is in negotiations to direct the sequel, while The Kings of Summer writer Chris Galletta will write the script. Ryan Reynolds is also set to return as the voice of Pikachu, though he won’t play Harry Goodman this time around. At the end of the first movie, Mewtwo transferred Harry’s consciousness into Pikachu to save him from certain death.
Release Date
While the sequel to Detective Pikachu isn’t yet out – the most generous estimates place it somewhere in 2025 at the earliest – fans can play the new Detective Pikachu Returns video game on October 6. It will follow gruff-voiced Tim Goodman and his partner, Pikachu, as they investigate mysterious occurrences in Ryme City.
The game is reportedly following the story of the first movie closely, and Portlandia creator Jonathan Krisel is on board to direct. It isn’t clear whether Justice Smith or Ryan Reynolds will reprise their roles, but the bond between the pair gave the film its emotional core.
It’s expected that the movie will debut in theaters before eventually finding a home on streaming services such as Hulu. The first Pokemon live-action film made a huge amount of money at the box office, so it’s logical that Legendary would want to keep the momentum going with a sequel. The studio has also been considering a series of other Pokemon movies.
Trailer
The first Pokemon Detective Pikachu was a surprise hit, and hardcore fans were eagerly waiting for a sequel. However, it seems that the second movie won’t be happening anytime soon. Justice Smith, who played Tim in the film, has revealed that there just isn’t enough story to create a sequel.
The film starred Ryan Reynolds as gruff-voiced Detective Pikachu, Kathryn Newton as his partner and love interest, and Ant-Man actor Paul Rudd as their father Harry Goodman. It was the first time that a live-action Pokemon movie managed to translate the popular franchise into a genuinely entertaining film.
The new trailer for Detective Pikachu Returns reintroduces the mystery-solving duo and the utopian world of Ryme City. Mewtwo also makes an appearance, but it is unclear whether he will play a significant role in the sequel. The trailer is relatively short on plot details, but it appears that the sequel will follow a similar narrative. After a theatrical release, the movie will most likely be released on a streaming service.