Live Action 'Detective Pikachu' Movie Gets a Release Date

The live action Pokemon movie has an official release date.

Universal Pictures has announced that Detective Pikachu will premiere in theaters on May 10, 2019. The release date puts the new Pokemon-themed movie right at the start of the summer movie season.

The new movie will star Ryan Reynolds as the voice of the title character, a cantankerous Pikachu who can speak to his human partner. Detective Pikachu's trainer will be played by The Get Down's Justice Smith, and Big Little Lies' Kathryn Newton will play a junior journalist assisting the pair.

While details about the movie are scant, the plot involves Smith's character searching for his missing father with the help of Detective Pikachu, while a mystery unfurls about Pokemon going rabid and attacking their trainers.

Alex Hirsch and Nicole Perlman are writing the script, and the movie will be directed by Goosebumps' Rob Letterman.

Detective Pikachu has high expectations as its the first ever live-action adaptation for the Pokemon franchise. When Legendary Pictures, who is producing the film, announced they had the rights to Pokemon, most fans expected a straightforward adaptation of the Pokemon franchise. Instead, Legendary opted for adapting the little known Great Detective Pikachu game, which came out in 2016 and ended on a cliffhanger.

While Great Detective Pikachu hasn't gotten a US release yet, there's recently been indications that the game could get an English adaptation next year.