It's no secret that Ryan Reynolds' career as at an all-time high. His work on the Deadpool franchise broke new ground for the superhero genre, proving that an R-rating isn't a death sentence at the box office. But before Deadpool 3 or X-Force arrives in theaters, Reynolds is lending his signature voice and comedic chops to another iconic property: Pokemon.
Ryan Reynolds is playing the title character of Detective Pikachu, which is getting some serious buzz ahead of its official release. Reynolds is finally giving the beloved mascot a voice, and the trailers are inducing nostalgia among the generations of Poke-fans. But it turns out that seeing footage elicits a more negative experience for the actor. As he recently explained:
When I see Pikachu, I see all my micro facial expressions and the most subtle facial expressions they’ve learned how to map on to this so I have this… weird seasick feeling sometimes when I stare at Pikachu, because I’m seeing me, but not me.
Well, I didn't expect this to be his reaction. But it looks like watching the motion capture of Detective Pikachu can be a bit jarring for Ryan Reynolds. Because he's on screen, but not. Looks like Pikachu got hit with confusion attack
Ryan Reynolds' comments to Extra make a great deal of sense, because motion capture technology is really reaching the peak of its possibilities. This opens up filmmaking possibilities, especially when it comes to genre work. Avengers: Infinity War brought Josh Brolin's massive Thanos to life, while Detective Pikachu will focus on a distinctly smaller CGI protagonist.
Related: Ryan Reynolds Has A Colorful Way Of Describing His Detective Pikachu Character
The Detective Pikachu footage may give Ryan Reynolds a feeling of seasickness, but it's delighting moviegoers who are anxiously awaiting the ambitious movie's arrival in theaters. The trailers are essentially a 90's kid dream, as the pocket monsters that became a pop culture phenomenon are brought to life, and added to the real world. There's already been a ton of Pokemon shown from various generations of the games, and the world-building has been one of the aspects of Detective Pikachu that has been most celebrated from its early screenings.
On top of feeling seasick, Ryan Reynolds might not be able to fully enjoy the nostalgic appeal of Detective Pikachu. In the same interview with Extra, he revealed the film helped introduced him to the property, saying:
Then I was first approached by them, I admittedly didn’t know much about Pokémon… they sent me a fully rendered Pikachu paired to my voice — they used some dialogue from Deadpool 1 — That sold me, I said yes. I read the script. It was amazing, it was this great mystery wrapped in kind of the universal themes of love and loss and home and family.
Indeed, it looks like Ryan Reynolds is bringing the same wise cracking energy from Deadpool, and applying to his role in Detective Pikachu. Reynolds' comedic chops have been on display for his entire career, and it should be interesting to see him reel things back and keep Detective Pikachu family friendly. But he managed to make Deadpool 2 PG-13 through Once Upon A Deadpool, so just about anything is possible.
Detective Pikachu will arrive in theaters on May 10, 2019. In the meantime, check out our 2019 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
