Next up on casting news today, comes for Legendary’s new Pokemon feature, Detective Pikachu. Big Little Lies actress Kathryn Newton may just be “in talks” however the negotiations are for the lead role.
If negotiations go well, Newton would be joining Netflix’s The Get Down star Justice Smith on the cast of the feature. Detective Pikachu, which is based on the titular character, will be directed by Rob Letterman. Nicole Perlman and Alex Hirsch have penned the script.
Detective Pikachu is a relatively new character who has so far only starred in a Japanese video game which is a spin-off of the Pokémon franchise. The game follows a peculiar talking Pikachu who, despite not being as powerful and nimble as other Pikachu of his kind, is rather intelligent and claims to be a great detective. One day, Pikachu encounters a boy named Tim Goodman, who is able to understand what he is saying. Thus, the two begin working together to solve various mysteries revolving around Pokémon in the city.
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, and this movie has potential.
Newton, who made her big break as Reese Witherspoon’s daughter in Big Little Lies, stars in the upcoming buzzworthy Lady Bird from director Greta Gerwig and Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri. She also has roles in the BBC’s Little Women miniseries, the CW/WB’s Supernatural spinoff Wayward Sisters, the Universal comedy Blockers for Point Grey Pictures, and Ben Is Back opposite Julia Roberts and Lucas Hedges all on the horizon.
