The first trailer for Detective Pikachu caused quite a stir when it was released earlier this week. So much so that it even rivaled the first look at Toy Story 4 for attention.
That’s because, as Pikachu, Ryan Reynolds looks like he has injected a wit and humor into the film that means it will appeal to those that have never even heard of Pokemon, as well as its legion of die-hard fans.
Over the last few weeks I have been lucky enough to speak to two individuals that have worked on “Pokemon: Detective Pikachu,” in the shape of actor Ken Watanabe and its screenwriter Nicole Perlman, and they were able to shed some more light on the live-action/animation hybrid.
First of all, Watanabe discussed his character, Lieutenant Yoshida, revealing, “I play a detective who helps the main character of the story. It was fun to watch the Pokemon characters speak internal thoughts that are distinct to humans.”
A few weeks later, Perlman talked me through her work writing “Detective Pikachu” alongside Rob Letterman, who directed the film, too, admitting that their intention was to give it a mainstream appeal that attracted Pokemon fans and novices alike.
“It is a fun, mystery, romp adventure story,” insisted Perlman. “It is exactly what you are probably imagining it to be in terms of a great kids movie that appeals to a lot of all ages, with its characters.”
“Like with ‘Goosebumps,’ Rob Letterman does a great job with taking material and really bringing a lot of heart to it. I think that will be an experience that everyone takes away from it.”
“I was really drawn to the world building elements of it and I like the challenge of crafting a new world that has potentially a lot of interesting backstory and history, and finding a way to make that cinematic and fun and accessible for people new to the franchise.”
We’ll finally get to see what Letterman and Perlman have achieved with “Pokemon: Detective Pikachu” when it is released on May 10, 2019.
