Justice Smith Cast as Lead in Live-Action ‘Detective Pikachu’ Film

November 17, 2017

The upcoming live-action Pokémon movie, “Detective Pikachu”, has found its leading star in Justice Smith, who is known for his role as Ezekiel ‘Books’ Figuero in Netflix’s “The Get Down”.

Directed by Rob Letterman, the new Pokémon project from Legendary Entertainment is the first in a series that will be based on the Nintendo 3DS game “Meitantei Pikachu: Shin Konbi Tanjyou”, or “Great Detective Pikachu: The Birth of a New Duo”, which was released exclusively in Japan on Feb. 3, 2016.

According to Kotaku, it follows Tim Goodman, who stumbles upon a talking Pikachu while visiting Rhyme City in search of his lost father. The duo team up to chase after a thief throughout the city and return a young girl’s stolen necklace.

Netflix passed on a second season of “The Get Down”, but you can still catch Smith in the 2015 adaptation of John Green’s “Paper Towns”.

The 22-year-old actor, who is represented by WME, Khol Group and Sloane Offer, is set to star alongside Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard in Universal Pictures’ “Jurassic World” sequel as well as the MGM film “Every Day”, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

GameSpot reported that big stars were being considered for the voice of Pikachu, including Hugh Jackman, Mark Wahlberg, Ryan Reynolds, and Dwayne Johnson.

However, one video, which went viral in 2016, edited an English “Detective Pikachu” trailer to include “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star Danny DeVito as the voice of the electric Pokémon.

The script for “Detective Pikachu”, which Legendary acquired the rights to in July 2016 following the “Pokemon Go” mania, will be penned by “Guardians of the Galaxy” writer Nicole Perlman and “Gravity Falls” creator Alex Hirsch.

Toho, The Pokémon Company’s longtime movie partner, will distribute “Detective Pikachu” in Japan, while Universal handles distribution of the live-action film in all other territories.

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