As evidenced by the hundreds of fan tributes on YouTube, the gaming and anime communities have wanted to see a live-action Pokémon movie since the genesis of the series in 1996. As evidenced by Pokémon’s TV commercial during the most recent Super Bowl, technology is at the point where this kind of movie is possible.
This has long been little more than a dream, but now, it looks like the gears are in motion to finally make this happen. The Hollywood Reporter is saying that Legendary Entertainment, Warner Bros., and Sony are involved in a “top-secret auction” for the film rights to the franchise, and that The Pokémon Company “has been courting Hollywood to launch a big-budget live-action movie.” Warner Bros. seems to have the upper hand since they previously released the animated Pokemon: The First Movie in 1999, but there’s still a lot of business yet to play out.
More importantly, let’s figure out what kind of movie this could be. Would it rehash the story of anime protagonist Ash Ketchum, be more based on the games (like Pokémon Origins), or add a new narrative to the Pokémon franchise?
A more nuanced question for big-time fans of the series: Will this potential movie finally figure out the game and anime’s inconsistent sizing of Pokémon? Furret has no right to be this horrifyingly big while Charizard is somehow only 5’7″.
What do you hope to see out of this movie? Do you think it will have a more imposing antagonist than Jessie and James? Let your imagination soar with us in the comments.
Image: The Pokémon Company
Editor’s Note: Nerdist Industries is a subsidiary of Legendary Pictures.
