Pokémon film Detective Pikachu casts The Get Down’s Justice Smith in lead role
Legendary Entertainment and The Pokémon Company are releasing a the first-ever Pokémon live-action film franchise based on Detective Pikachu, and they’ve cast The Get Down star Justice Smith, according to Variety. Rob Letterman is set to direct Detective Pikachu from a script by Nicole Perlman and Alex Hirsch.
First introduced in Japan in 1996, Pokémon has delighted fans of all ages around the world for two decades. With more than 279 million video games sold worldwide, 21.5 billion TCG cards shipped to 74 countries, and an animated series spanning 19 seasons, Pokémon is one of the most successful entertainment brands in the world.
Universal Pictures will handle distribution of the live-action film outside Japan as it has done with Legendary’s other films for years. The Pokémon Company’s long time movie collaborator, Toho, will handle distribution of the film franchise in Japan, as it had similarly done in its partnership with Legendary on the iconic monster reboot for Godzilla.
The deal was brokered by Don McGowan, General Counsel at The Pokémon Company International, who led the negotiations with outside counsel Dan Black of Greenberg Traurig. Marty Willhite, Legendary’s Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel along with Daniel Feinberg, Vice President Corporate Counsel and Mike Ross, Senior Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs, represented the studio.
Justice Smith is known for his work in the short-lived Netflix musical series The Get Down, as well as An Exploration in Blue and Paper Towns. He’ll next be seen in the upcoming sequel Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.
What do you guys think of Justice Smith being cast in the upcoming live-action Pokémon movie Detective Pikachu? Are you familiar with his work in The Get Down? Let us know in the comments.
(Photo credit: Getty Images)
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