Pokemon: What Will Netflix’s Live-Action Series Cover?

Pokemon first entered the world of live-action via the feature-length film, Detective Pikachu, but it seems as if Netflix is looking to pick up where the movie left off with a new story that presents the world of pocket monsters on the streaming service. With this new series confirmed to be in the works, questions have begun swirling as to what the story will be and we have some theories.

So, what exactly will this adaptation cover? Are we doing a sequel to Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, or is there another plan in the works? We need some answers, but for now, it seems the fandom has some good ideas of what might work.

First, we do have to address Pokemon‘s history with live-action projects. The lesson is brief because the only piece is the live-action take on Detective Pikachu from a couple years ago. The movie loosely adapted the story of the Nintendo DS title of the same name, but it added some creative licenses. While the movie did well enough at the box office, Detective Pikachu did not blow up into a blockbuster, and news about a sequel has been quiet.

Of course, that is why this Netflix report has fans curious. It seems unlikely The Pokemon Company would format a sequel to Detective Pikachu for the small screen, so netizens believe this project will be entirely original. This leaves three obvious paths for the franchise to take; An adaptation of a game could be coming, an anime adaptation might be on the table, or an original story could come from Pokemon‘s lore.

An original story would be a safer bet for Netflix to tackle as it couldn’t reflect on a previous IP from the Pokemon franchise. However, a direct adaptation of the anime or a video game brings greater familiarity from the get-go. It might be more difficult to live up to the expectations of a direct adaptation, but The Pokemon Company have overcome steep odds before. But if the buy in is too big, well – an original Pokemon series is always welcome to borrow from Ash Ketchum and all the other trainers who came before him!

What do you think about this new report? What would you like to see from this live-action adaptation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.