With live-action movie "Detective Pikachu" scheduled to begin filming early next year, rumor has it that Legendary Entertainment is eyeing four iconic action stars to voice the pocket monster.
It has been almost a year since it was announced that the popular Japanese franchise was finally getting a proper movie based on the video game "Great Detective Pikachu," which features the Pokémon as a master detective.
Back then, Legendary said the movie would be fast-tracked for production this 2017. And now, reports are finally shedding some light on the movie's direction, mainly on who would voice Detective Pikachu.
That Hashtag Show reported that the studio is considering Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson ("Fast & Furious" franchise), Hugh Jackman ("X-Men" series), Ryan Reynolds ("Deadpool") and Mark Wahlberg ("Transformer" franchise) for the role.
All mentioned have iconic voices that the audience would recognize from anywhere. Also, they are the complete opposite of the cute Pikachu that fans around the world adore. But it is probably the main reason they are the top candidates for the role. Their gruff voices paired with Pikachu's adorable appearance would be a comedic contrast that can make the movie more exciting.
It is important to note, however, that none of these actors have been approached by Legendary yet. Whether it is one of them who will finally get the role is yet unknown. What is clear now is the tone that the studio is trying to set for the movie. That is, a Sherlock Holmes-inspired Pikachu who could be entertaining with just the way it speaks.
"Detective Pikachu" is slated to start filming in London in January 2018. It will reportedly be directed by Rob Letterman ("Goosebumps"), with a screenplay from Nicole Perlman ("Guardians of the Galaxy") and Alex Hirsch ("Gravity Falls"). No word yet on when it will be released.
"Pokémon" was first introduced in Japan in 1996 as a role-playing video game. In 1997, it was adapted into an animation series, which is now in its 20th season and is still ongoing. Two decades after its release, "Pokémon" is the third best-selling video game franchise, with over 290 million copies sold.
