Pokemon Live-Action Series at Netflix Remains in the Production, Deets Here

A new rumor suggests Netflix is still developing a live-action Pokémon adaptation. The same rumor offers a hint at who the protagonist could be.

Updated on Aug 26, 2024  |  07:55 PM IST |  121K
Netflix's Live-Action Pokémon Is Still In Development
Pokémon (PC: OLM Team Ota, Viz Media)

Pokémon, one of the world's largest franchises, has been expanding through spinoffs, anime shows, and live-action projects. However, it took longer than expected to reach live-action, with a live-action project only produced in 2019. Fans are eagerly awaiting more, as they see the potential of the universe in this new medium.

The battling mechanics and designs of Pokémon have been translated from games to screen, but there is still more work to be done and opportunities to capitalize on. The Pokémon Trading Card Game and anime show have been popular spinoffs, but no follow-up has been produced.

A new report explores the history of the Pokemon franchise, which has been a global hit. Despite years of silence on Pokemon's pursuit at Netflix, it seems the project is not out of bounds yet, as it has been a subject of interest for years. An avid fan and insider Daniel RPK (Daniel Richtman) claimed that the live-action Netflix adaptation is "reportedly in development".

Pokémon (OLM Team Ota, Viz Media)

The Pokemon show is allegedly going to center around a character called Red, who was the inspiration behind the main character of the anime, Ash Ketchum. Netflix has kept mum about Pokemon since the live-action was first confirmed in 2021. The 2019 film after the success of the first Detective Pikachu movie, the film was quickly given the green light for a sequel. But since then things have been silent.

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Last year, it was reported that Detective Pikachu 2 had been commissioned and that Ryan Reynolds would be a part of the plan in some capacity. The news was certainly welcome, but fans had to keep in mind that there was a lot standing in between that initial confirmation and the start of filming. Reynolds himself has plenty of projects on his plate, and Nintendo is seemingly busier than ever when it comes to overseeing the development of pictures based on their video game archives.

Justice Smith, the star of the original Detective Pikachu film, has not been informed about the sequel, despite knowing of the announcement. The production team is not yet in the right position to speak with potential stars, which could potentially mean Smith is being excluded and the film is going in a different direction.

Pokémon (OLM Team Ota, Viz Media)

Interestingly, Detective Pikachu 2 might be in development hell because of the narrative difficulties that would emerge from that surprise turn. The fact that Ryan Reynolds was revealed to be the titular Pikachu and that he was restored to his human form by the end does complicate matters. Unless he is to be returned to the body of the Pokémon, it may well be that a different Pikachu has to wear that hat, so to speak. So there's still some uncertainty surrounding Detective Pikachu 2 despite the positive news of its existence, but Pokémon fans can also look to an unexpected source for more from this franchise.

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Netflix is currently seeking new franchises to secure subscribers and is collaborating with creative teams to achieve this. Pokémon is a significant priority for the streaming platform, despite the high cost and time-consuming nature of the CGI required to bring the world to life.

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With a Masters in English, Barsha is a movie buff and a K-pop stan who is fascinated by the

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