Detective Pikachu Director Reveals Why Mr. Mime Almost Wasn't in the Film

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is one of the most anticipated releases of the year as fans can't wait to see how their Pokemon favorites will be making the jump to the big screen. The upcoming film instantly caught attention for its more realistic interpretations of the franchise characters, but one stood out in particular from the jump for being such an odd inclusion: Mr. Mime.

But it turns out that Mr. Mime almost wasn't in the upcoming movie at all despite leaving such a lasting impression in the trailers. Speaking with ComicBook.com, director Rob Letterman mentioned how both he and The Pokemon Company thought Mr. Mime was just too weird at first.

When asked about the weirdest Pokemon fact he learned when directing the film, the conversation turned to Mr. Mime instantly. Letterman spoke about its inclusion, "I just thought it was hilarious to take a police interrogation scene and do it with a mime...What was really funny was that The Pokemon Company was like, 'Yeah don't do that.'"

Elaborating further on The Pokemon Company's hesitation for such a scene, Letterman mentioned how The Pokemon Company thought there was "no way" to bring Mr. Mime to life and that it was "too weird." This got Letterman second guessing the choice as well, "Then there [were] moments where I agreed with them. I was like, 'What are we doing?' But...it kind of worked itself out."

Fans are definitely happy that the weirdness of Mr. Mime's presence in the film worked out as the Pokemon is definitely one of the big reasons fans are looking forward to seeing it. Directed by Rob Letterman, and co-written by Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, Nicole Perlman, and Derek Connolly, Pokemon: Detective Pikachu is currently scheduled for a release on May 10th.

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 read out spoiler-free review of the film here. You can also 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. Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City—a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world—they encounter a diverse cast of Pokémon characters and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe."

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