Oscar-nominated Japanese actor Ken Watanabe is the most recent star recruited to be a part of the upcoming live-action Pokemon film, "Detective Pikachu," by Legendary Entertainment. This news is followed by the confirmation that Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds was sealed to be one of the film's cast members.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the role that Watanabe will be playing was made specifically for the movie, which means that expectant fans and audiences may see the 58-year-old actor in a prominent role -- as Detective Yoshida. As previously mentioned, Reynolds is to make an appearance as Detective Pikachu himself, and can be expected to lend his quick wits and humor to the character.
On the other hand, Netflix's "The Get Down" star Justice Smith has also been reported to join the cast of "Detective Pikachu" and will be playing a man who had just lost his father due to mysterious circumstances. Additionally, "Big Little Lies" actress Kathryn Newton will also have a major role in the live-action film. Newton will be playing a "sassy" journalist, who will be helping Smith's character and Detective Pikachu solve the mysteries in the film.
The movie is set to be directed by Rob Letterman, the man who was responsible for directing the 2015 children's horror-adventure film "Goosebumps." Letterman and the entire cast and crew of "Detective Pikachu" are scheduled to begin shooting the film this month in London.
It is important to mention that the premise of the film, as well as the video game that it is based on, is not representative of the popular theme of the Pokemon franchise. Usually, players play the popular video games to catch and train their Pokemon, but in "Detective Pikachu," the unique Pokemon shows that he has other talents than just possessing the power of electricity. In fact, he is very skilled at retrieving things, or people, that have been lost.
As of now, there is no information yet regarding an estimated release date for "Detective Pikachu."
