Warner Bros. has dropped the first trailer for the upcoming Detective Pikachu movie, offering fans their first look at its vivid live-action world. With visual effects provided by Framestore and Moving Picture Company, the world-famous Pokémon Pikachu and company have been given a fresh, photorealistic look to them.
As with the 3DS game of the same name, Detective Pikachu can speak in human language, voiced here by Ryan Reynolds. Not to be forgotten, the live-action cast includes Justice Smith as Tim Goodman, Kathryn Newton as junior reporter Lucy, and Ken Watanabe as Lt. Yoshida.
Here is the plot synopsis, which bears similarities to the 3DS game while taking plenty of detours in its own direction:
The story begins when ace private eye 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.
Directed by Rob Letterman (Goosebumps) and with a screenplay by Rob Letterman, Nicole Perlman, and Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch, Detective Pikachu will release in theaters worldwide on May 11th, 2019. Warner Bros. will distribute the picture everywhere outside of Japan, where Pokémon regulars Toho will distribute.
