Ryan Reynolds is joining Detective Pikachu and will voice the famous Pokémon. Legendary is getting a new Pokémon movie off the ground, following the swell of popularity that the IP received from Pokémon Go last year. Instead of adapting that specific Pokémon game into a film, however, Legendary is instead putting the focus on the franchise's most popular character: Pikachu. Much of the plot has yet to be revealed, but it has been confirmed that the Detective Pikachu movie will be a blend of CGI and live-action.
Casting has ramped up recently on Detective Pikachu, with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom's Justice Smith signing up to play the male (human) lead. Big Little Lies star Kathryn Newton subsequently signed on to take the female (human) lead role, without any word on who would be bringing Pikachu himself to life. At one point, it was rumored that Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson was the front-runner for the role, but it turns out the character will be played by a former Sexiest Man Alive winner instead.
Related: Pikachu Named Ambassador of Japanese City
THR is reporting Ryan Reynolds is set to voice Pikachu in Detective Pikachu. This marks a huge get for Legendary in terms of star power, and audiences are already familiar with just hearing Reynolds' voice thanks to his role as Deadpool. Pikachu won't be as prone to violence or profanity as The Merc With a Mouth (presumably), but Reynolds' natural charm and humor should be a good indicator of the type of personality that Pikachu will have in the film.
The role of Detective Pikachu will involve motion capture, but it's not clear yet whether Reynolds will be doing mo-cap acting himself for the role. Considering that Pikachu has a rather limited vocabulary (typically), this could be a role akin to Vin Diesel voicing Groot in the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. Pikachu usally only speaks in the Pikapi language (except for his recent English-speaking part in Pokémon The Movie: I Choose You!), but it could be explained that - like Rocket in the MCU - someone can understand what he is saying. It's possible that Smith's character will serve as Pikachu's "translator" in Detective Pikachu, in that respect.
Along with the news about Reynolds' casting, THR has provide some plot details for the Rob Letterman directed flick. According to the site, Smith's character will track down Pikachu in the film to help him locate his father, after the latter is kidnapped. The pair are eventually joined by Newton's character, who is described in the report as being "a sassy journalist." Additional story details for the film have yet to be revealed, but additional information should start to trickle out now that the movie has found its three main stars.
With production starting soon, it won't be long before the rest of Reynolds' Detective Pikachu castmates are revealed. Stay tuned to Screen Rant to learn more!
MORE: Detective Pikachu Starts Filming January 2018
Source: THR