Rob Letterman's Live-Action DETECTIVE PIKACHU Starts Filming

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Heaven knows what a third season of Netflix series The Get Down might have welcomed. It's great to have at least had two though, and introducing actor Justice Smith to today's viewing demographic, which makes it all the more opportune with his attachment last year to Pokémon’s Detective Pikachu from Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures.

A line-up attaching him with actors Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool), Watanabe Ken (Godzilla) and actress Kathryn Newton (Three Billboards) also serves well and with principal photography now underway to showcase a debut live-action approach to a longstanding and popular Japanese property. Rob Letterman (Goosebumps, Gulliver’s Travels) is directing from a script co-written with Nicole Perlman and with polishes by Eric Pearson and Tom McCarthy.

Plot details for the film are unknown with Detective Pikachu to be preceded by a Nintendo 3DS game in March which focuses on a talking version of the loveable title character who, in the game, can't use normal attacks like other Pokémon. Legendary's Mary Parent and Cale Boyter are producing with Joe Caracciolo, Jr. (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Logan) and The Pokémon Company’s Tsunekazu Ishihara serving as executive producers and Legendary's Alexandra Mendes co-producing.

Pokémon has delighted fans of all ages around the world since launching in 1996. With more than 300 million video games sold worldwide, 23.6 billion Pokémon TCG cards shipped to 74 countries, and an animated series spanning 20 seasons, Pokémon is one of the most successful entertainment properties in the world.

Per the announcement, the talented creative team also includes director of photography John Mathieson (Logan, Gladiator), production designer Nigel Phelps (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Transformers: Dark of the Moon), editor Mark Sanger (Gravity, The Jungle Book), costume designer Suzie Harman (RocknRolla, The Death of Stalin). The film’s visual effects will be crafted by Moving Picture Company (The Jungle Book, Wonder Woman) and Framestore (Paddington 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2).

Detective Pikachu arrives in theaters in North America on May 10, 2019. Universal Pictures will handle distribution of Detective Pikachu outside Japan while Toho will distribute in Japan, as it has done in its partnership with Legendary on the blockbuster monster reboot for Godzilla.
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