Legendary CEO Addresses Detective Pikachu, MCU Comparisons

Detective Pikachu is ready to be the best like none other movie ever was. To find fans is the film’s real quest, and — well — to entertain them is its cause. With Pokemon ready to enter Hollywood’s summer blockbuster circuit, the time has come for Pikachu to go up against heavyweights like Iron Man but don’t get it twisted.

Recently, the CEO of Legendary Entertainment did an interview speaking to Detective Pikachu, and Joshua Grode said the live-action venture wasn’t made to compete directly with the MCU.

Not long ago, a lengthy interview conducted with Grode went live, and it was there The Hollywood Reporter asked how its non-Disney tentpoles like Detective Pikachu can compete against films like Avengers: Endgame. It was there Grode said the strategy all comes down to knowing the market.

“There’s room for a lot of different brands in the market. Pikachu is not meant to be a Marvel movie. People say, “Oh, you’re going up against the Marvel movies.” Well, no, we’re going up against ourselves and judging ourselves on: Do we execute our content the best way we could? We made the best version of Pikachu we could make,” the CEO explained.

“Same with Godzilla. Godzilla‘s not supposed to be Jurassic World. They both have creatures and animals. But we have to market it for what it is and not fall into the trap of, “It’s Die Hard with a train.” So we’re trying to be original in how we market it.”

While Grode has made it clear these titles are different, that has not stopped fans from speculating the creation of a PCU, Pokemon Cinematic Universe. In fact, a producer on the live-action venture backed the wish in a recent interview, and the film’s first impressions carried on the hype when they came back positive.

So, what do you make of these comparisons? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

The film stars Ryan Reynolds (as the voice of the titular Pikachu), Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Ken Watanabe, Khary Payton, Bill Nighy, Suki Waterhouse, Chris Geere, Rita Ora, and Omar Chaparro. You can find out how to purchase tickets for yourself here.

The official synopsis for Pokemon: Detective Pikachu reads as such, “The story begins when ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry’s former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu: a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to communicate with one another, Tim and Pikachu join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery.”

—–

Have you subscribed to ComicBook Nation, the official Podcast of ComicBook.com yet? Check it out by clicking here or listen below.

In this latest episode, we go all in on Avengers: Endgame! This is the spoiler-filled discussion you’ve been waiting for after coming out of the movie and we cover a ton of ground. Make sure to subscribe now and never miss an episode!