Detective Pikachu: Warner Bros. Is Reportedly Already Planning a Sequel

CBR

By Tom Chapman

Published Jan 15, 2019

New rumors suggest that Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures are already planning a Detective Pikachu sequel featuring a very familiar Pokémon.

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains possible spoilers for Detective Pikachu, in theaters May 10.

New reports suggest that Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures are already working on a Detective Pikachu sequel before the first movie even hits theaters.

According to We Got This Covered, director Rob Letterman is queuing iconic villain Mewtwo up to be a threat in the first movie and hopes to give the character an expanded role in the proposed sequel. Sources tell the site that Detective Pikachu will reveal Mewtwo's mysterious origins but that there will also be a human villain trying to control the genetically modified Pokémon.

Loosely adapting 2016's Detective Pikachu game, Ryan Reynolds will voice the colorful lead, alongside a cast that includes Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom's Justice Smith, Deadpool's Karan Soni and Godzilla's Ken Watanabe. There is already plenty of hype surrounding Detective Pikachu, so it's no surprise the studios are looking at potential sequels.

Although the first Detective Pikachu trailer featured memorable Pokémon including Charizard, Jigglypuff and Mr. Mime, it was unclear who the big bad of the movie would be. Remembering that Mewtwo was the main villain of Pokémon: The First Movie, many had guessed the 150th Pokémon would appear somewhere in Detective Pikachu.

Apart from the inclusion of Mewtwo, there is no news on whether Reynolds could return for another movie, what the main plot is or whether it is supposed to be considered a spinoff instead of a direct sequel. There is also no news on Detective Pikachu's human villain, but it could be linked to the secretive casting of Deadpool 2's Rob Delaney.

Ultimately, a Detective Pikachu sequel will depend on the movie's box office and critical response. In recent memory, movies like Fant4stic, Power Ranger and Justice League were all cut short from completing their arcs in proposed sequels.

Thankfully, the world of Pokémon is as popular as ever due to a continuously growing franchise of games and media that includes Pokémon Go, the upcoming Pokémon the Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back Evolution and a main series game coming to the Nintendo Switch later this year. Either way, it sounds like Pokéfans should get ready to see a lot more of Mewtwo in the near future.

Directed by Rob Letterman, Detective Pikachu stars Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Ken Watanabe and the voice of Ryan Reynolds. The film opens in theaters on May 10.