Detective Pikachu star Ryan Reynolds recorded enough outtakes for an R-rated cut of the film that, it's safe to say, will never happen. Best known for his role as Deadpool and turns in R-rated comedies like Van Wilder, Reynolds was a left-field choice to voice the titular crime-solving pokémon in a live-action, family friendly movie. Sure enough, when the first Detective Pikachu trailer dropped, many people needed a moment to adjust to hearing Wade Wilson's voice coming out of the otherwise adorable CGI Pikachu. Jump to the present, however, and moviegoers seem to be largely onboard with the casting.
Early Detective Pikachu reviews have been generally positive in their appraisal of Reynolds' voice performance and how it befits the fast-talking, caffeine addicted pokémon in the film. Further, critics seem to agree the actor brings the right amount of edge to the otherwise PG-rated movie and its portrayal of a world where humans and all manner of strange pokémon exist side by side. According to Reynolds, however, he recorded enough material for a full-blown "mature" version of the offbeat tentpole.
Speaking to Kotaku, Reynolds said he would come up with "85 options for any one joke" while recording his performance for Detective Pikachu. He confirmed the outtakes "ran the gamut from Rated R to PG" and there were enough R-rated ones that someone "could probably squeeze together a Rated-R cut if someone went looking for it in the edit, I'm sure. God forbid they would".
As entertaining as it would be to hear Reynolds' Pikachu curse like a sailor, it's safe to assume that will never happen in an official cut. The Pokémon franchise has always been geared towards children first and foremost, which clashes with the very idea of an R-rated Detective Pikachu. Further, with the movie projected to become a big hit at the box office, Warner Bros. is already looking beyond the film to the future of the live-action Pokémon universe. In truth, there doesn't seem to be much of a paying audience for movies where adorable non-human characters swear or crack potty jokes either (as The Happytime Murders learned last year). It's a funny scenario to talk about, but it's not as though there's an actual demand for it.
That being said, Detective Pikachu won't be hurting for more adult comedy when it opens this week. The Pokémon animated movies and TV shows always found ways to slip mature gags and wry humor into the proceedings, and it appears the live-action adaptation follows suit in that regard. Not to mention, there's a reasonable chance WB will include some of Reynolds' outtakes on the Detective Pikachu Blu-ray release later this year. The more R-rated ones might be bleeped for content or left out entirely, but fans will no doubt have fun creating alternate cuts of the film with whatever bloopers are ultimately made available to them.
Source: Kotaku
