"Guardians of the Galaxy" co-writer Nicole Perlman and "Gravity Falls" creator Alex Hirsch have reportedly been in negotiations with Thomas Tull's Legendary Pictures to helm the upcoming "Pokemon" live action movie, "Detective Pikachu." The movie is inspired by the video game, "Detective Pikachu: Birth of a New Team," which was released exclusively in Japan early this year.
The "Pokemon" film was announced in late July, following the hype of hit augmented reality mobile app "Pokemon Go." The game, which allows players to level up, catch and battle Pokemon, caused a 25 percent surge in the stock of part-owner Nintendo and revived interest in the two decade-old Japanese franchise.
The "Pokemon" franchise began in 2006, and has sold nearly 300 million video games worldwide. As mentioned in Variety, if the upcoming Pokemon live action movie is anything like the recently released "Detective Pikachu" game, then the plot will follow the adventures of a young boy trying to find his father with the help of Pikachu.
While no cast and story details have yet been confirmed, Legendary Pictures announced that production has already been set for 2017. The movie will reportedly be shot in English, despite being inspired by a Japanese game. Universal Pictures will be handling the live action film's distribution outside of Japan, while Toho, the Pokemon Company's long-time movie collaborator, will handle the distribution in Japan.
Both Perlman and Hirsch have had extensive experience handling big budget franchises. According to The Verge, Perlman is credited for having blockbuster hits which include the Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston starrer "Thor." She is now tasked with handling upcoming movies "Captain Marvel" and "Sherlock Holmes."
On the other hand, Hirsch gained recognition for creating "Gravity Falls," which revolves around twins Dipper and Mabel, who investigate and unravel a series of mysteries in the fictional town of Gravity Falls. He has also been associated with animated series "Fish Hooks" and "Phineas and Pherb."
