Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Pokémon

  • ‘Detective Pikachu Returns! ‘Jonathan Krisel to Direct ‘Pokémon’ Movie Sequel

    ‘Detective Pikachu Returns! ‘Jonathan Krisel to Direct ‘Pokémon’ Movie Sequel

    Now, this is quite a surprise. After a long hiatus, it seems that the Pokémon franchise is returning to the silvers screen. Not only that, but they are also once again going to continue the storyline of Detective Pikachu. Rob Letterman directed the first film that went on to make a strong $430M worldwide, it seems they have found a new director to tackle the sequel in Portlandia‘s Jonathan Krisel. He’ll be adapting the film based on a script written by Chris Gallettta that’ll continue the story we last saw in 2019.

    While there is no word if Ryan Reynolds will return, it does seem that he’ll likely be a part of it. For those that might have forgotten, Reynolds voiced the film’s titular Detective Pikachu who would become close friends with Justice Smith‘s Tim Goodman, who is trying to find out what happened to his father in the film. It was an unconventional direction to take the franchise but was tailor-made for a more cinematic outing than just 10-year-olds heading out to have Pokémon battle each other.

    It’s unclear how far along they are with the project, but it does seem like they are in the early stages. No cast has been set and we don’t know how far along the script is. Many have wondered why it has taken this long for the sequel to get rolling, as it was technically renewed shortly after the first film wrapped up its theatrical run. Still, it may simply be some legal discussion with the company that created the iconic gaming franchise.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Detective Pikachu’ Sequel Still “In Active Development”

    ‘Detective Pikachu’ Sequel Still “In Active Development”

    Yeah, I had to question that title as well but it seems that the long-awaited sequel to Pokémon: Detective Pikachu is still “in active development” according to a Legendary Entertainment representative. Of course, we don’t know at what stage it is exactly without anyone actively involved with the project but it seems Legendary is still keen on releasing the project at some point if possible.

    The sequel was renewed ahead of the first entries’ theatrical release. So, Legendary was all in creating their own universe. Yet, we also heard that Netflix was potentially going to reboot the film to better tie into their new TV series that is being developed by Lucifer‘s Joe Henderson.

    As such, it’s hard to say if we should ever actually expect a sequel or not. The new series was announced back in July of 2021 and there has been little movement on the project since. So, we don’t know if Netflix passed on the project or if even The Pokémon Company may have decided not to move forward. As of now, the cinematic future of this franchise leaves us questioning things like a Wobbuffet.

    Even the writer of Detective Pikachu, Benji Samit, and Dan Hernandez, pointed out that there’s a general rights issue for Pokémon that may be the leading cause of why we haven’t seen anything moving forward. The film did a lot right and offered some of the best live-action adaptations of an anime but sadly seemingly lost all momentum since its release in 2019.

    Source: Polygon

  • End of an Era: ‘Pokémon’ Ends Ash Ketchum’s Journey After 25 Years

    End of an Era: ‘Pokémon’ Ends Ash Ketchum’s Journey After 25 Years

    Yes, Ash Ketchum has finally reached his goal and will no longer be the main lead of the 25 years ongoing Pokémon animated series. Now, two new characters will take over as the anime enters Paldea and introduces us to a whole new world. It’s crazy to think how long we’ve spent time with Ash and his Pikachu; especially with him still being 10 years old for most of his journey.

    Luckily, Ash’s journey isn’t just randomly over but rather gets a final run with the new special episodes Pokémon Ultimate Journeys: The Series. We get one last journey with our iconic duo before the new team takes over. Sarah Natochenny has voiced the character since 2006 and it originally began all the way back in 1997.

    It truly is the end of an era to not see Ash as part of the series and might be the perfect time for a new generaiton to check it out. The new designs of the main characters do include some staples from Ash, such as the logo from his cap being used as a clip. We might still have to wait a bit before we see the new characters in action and perhaps the farewell series might even hint at where Ash would return in a future episode.

    Perhaps he’ll become a gym leader or teacher so that he can pass on his experiences to a new generation. He may not be leading the series anymore, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still be a part of it moving forward. It’ll be weird not to have Pikachu as a main member of the Pokémon roster either given he’s the series mascot. So, perhaps he finds himself in that same role soon again.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’ is Nintendo’s Biggest Worldwide Launch Ever

    ‘Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’ is Nintendo’s Biggest Worldwide Launch Ever

    It seems people are still just as crazy about Pokémon as ever, as the latest two entries Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have now sold over 10 million units worldwide within just three days. 4.05 million units were sold in Japan alone. As such, this marks the biggest launch ever for a Nintendo console release and a continued showcase of just how big this franchise remains to this day. It’s a testament to just how big this franchise is and why it has such a memorable place on the Nintendo console to this day.

    The new open-world concept introduced in Legends Arceus has become the new staple of this mainline entry in the franchise. It even includes multiplayer modes such as four players interacting with each other, which likely played a big role in its growing numbers. Of course, Pokémon is one of the few franchises that still forces a dual release on gamers, as you have to decide between one of the two versions that offer some unique differences. The game combines elements from the spinoff with the mainline games, but there’s also been quite some controversy surrounding the title.

    The game has been facing some performance issues with many sharing their frustration online. Plus, the game has been described as rushed by many given how barebones the game seems to be while facing countless glitches. With such high sales numbers, it’s hard to see developer Game Freak not continuing their three-year release plan moving forward but perhaps having found a new system could push them to build upon it moving forward. Of course,

    Source: Business Wire

  • RUMOR: Netflix Rebooting ‘POKÈMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU’ To Tie Into New TV Series

    RUMOR: Netflix Rebooting ‘POKÈMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU’ To Tie Into New TV Series

    Here’s a curious rumor. In July, Lucifer‘s Joe Henderson was hired by Netflix to develop a live-action adaptation of Pokémon for the streaming service. It looks like they may have some bigger plans, as Illuminerdi shared the news that they’re also looking to develop a film that interconnects with the ongoing series. They do not go into detail but they do word that it won’t be a continuation of the popular Detective Pikachu film but act like a reboot. It’s uncertain if this means it’s an actual reboot of the 2019 film, or rather simply meant as a reboot of the franchise overall as they also highlight that no continuation of the Warner Bros. film by Rob Letterman is planned.

    It makes sense they’ll reboot the franchise from scratch. However, it seems unlikely the film will release ahead of the TV series. It seems like a safer bet to establish the world, as they might try to include hints at a bigger picture. It would be great if they utilize these films as highlights of side characters arcs, or even as the tournament to end a seasonal arc on a high note.

    It won’t be cheap adapting this unique world filled with creatures that state their own name in repetition. The film did an amazing job selling a living and breathing world filled with Pokémon and it’ll be interesting if Netflix takes a different direction to make it stand out from the previous entry. The combination of realism with the cartoon designs worked surprisingly well but they might take a very different direction. It’ll join a variety of Netflix series eyeing a live-action adaptation of Anime and it won’t be the last.

    Source: Illuminerdi

  • ‘Lucifer’s Joe Henderson Developing Live-Action ‘Pokémon’ Netflix Series

    ‘Lucifer’s Joe Henderson Developing Live-Action ‘Pokémon’ Netflix Series

    The future for the Pokémon series has been quite the question mark in Hollywood. We got the 2019 film Detective Pikachu starring Ryan Reynolds and Justice Smith. We never got an official announcement for a sequel or spin-off films after the film had moderate success at the Box Office. After a long bit of silence, the series makes a grand return as Lucifer‘s Joe Henderson is set to write and executive produce a live-action series for Netflix.

    The streamer has been on the hunt for big-name franchises to compete with the ever-growing competitive market. They’ve dabbled in Anime for quite some time and even became the home for most of the iconic animated series featuring Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu. There’s no word if they will adapt the Anime into live-action or take a completely new direction to make it stand on its own terms.

    Variety points out that the series will be akin to the 2019 film. Sadly, no further details are available but Henderson’s work on the popular Lucifer season makes him a great choice. There’s a lot of potentials to explore the vast world filled with these creatures. Each season ould explore a different region from the games, or they even explore a brand new one.

    Pokémon joins the many Anime live-action adaptations that the streamer has been trying to bring to life over the last few years. They’ve been working on bringing Cowboy Bebop, One Piece, and even Gundam to live-action. Only Bebop has entered some form of production with a release remaining uncertain. Here’s hoping this project doesn’t end up in development hell for some time.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Pokémon Diamond and Pearl’ Remakes Announced Alongside New Open-World Prequel Game

    ‘Pokémon Diamond and Pearl’ Remakes Announced Alongside New Open-World Prequel Game

    It is somewhat of a tradition that the various Pokémon games get remakes while Gamefreak is working hard on the next entry. As such, many weren’t wonder if we would get remakes of Diamond and Pearl, but rather when. Many believed it would be the case with the last Nintendo Direct, but it turned out they had an entirely separate event planned for it, as they finally revealed the remakes with the titles Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Not just that, they also revealed the game’s art style in a small teaser for its Nintendo Switch release:

    https://twitter.com/Pokemon/status/1365319952153083910?s=20

    they went ahead and recreated the original Nintendo DS games with a chibi design. It really looks like they made 3D renders of the original pixel art. It is rather surprising, as the franchise seemed to be moving away from the top-down view it has been using since its inception. Of course, once you enter battle the design shifts to showcase fully realized 3D models that we’ve seen in the new Pokémon Let’s GO games. However, it looks like they are also testing a new design out with the reveal of a pre-make game that is set within the land of Sinnoh titled Pokémon: Legends Arceus:

    https://twitter.com/Pokemon/status/1365321297190940673

    gives us a fully realized 3D Pokemon game many of us have been wanting to see in the franchise. You can freely explore open worlds and catch wild Pokémon without entering a specific fighting sequence. It seems like they might be testing out a new direction for the franchise. The Japanese design of exploring the history of this world is a great idea, which hopefully will be explored more in the future. The franchise is a perfect candidate for an open-world action-RPG. It looks like the Pokémon franchise has some big plans for the Nintendo Switch.

    Source: Twitter (Remake), Twitter (Premake)