Detective Pikachu has its (non-Pokemon) lead star.
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Variety is reporting that Justice Smith has been cast as the male lead of the upcoming live action Pokemon movie, which stars a boy teaming with a cranky talking Pikachu to solve crimes. The Pikachu previously belonged to the boy’s father and can’t use any Pokemon moves, which makes it a bit useless in dangerous situations.
We previously reported that Legendary was looking at big stars like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Hugh Jackman, or Ryan Reynolds to voice Pikachu in the film. Legendary Pictures, which is producing the film, is also looking for a teenager to play the female lead, a junior journalist who is investigating Pokemon suddenly going feral and attacking their trainers.
Smith was previously the lead of Netflix’s The Get Down, which was cancelled after just one season. Smith will also appear in next year’s Jurassic Park: Hidden Kingdom alongside Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Jeff Goldblum.
Detective Pikachu will be directed by Rob Letterman (Goosebumps, Monsters vs. Aliens) with a script by Gravity Falls’ Alex Hirsch and Guardians of the Galaxy‘s Nicole Perlman.
Detective Pikachu is based off of Great Detective Pikachu, an adventure game that was only released in Japan in 2016. The game never got a US release, nor has a planned sequel been released.
