Movie adaptations of video games have not had a historically stellar in theaters. Plenty of these projects have failed throughout the years, including classics like Super Mario Bros. and more contemporary movies like Assassin's Creed and Warcraft. But two movies recently managed to break this curse, the first being Detective Pikachu. Rob Letterman's movie featuring Ryan Reynolds was a critical and box office success, and a sequel seems inevitable. Now the story of the blooming franchise will continue, just not how you'd think.
Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. haven't given any confirmation of a Detective Pikachu sequel, but the fans will be able to catch up with Tim and Harry Goodman in an unexpected way. Namely by a graphic novel that will accompany the film. What's more, it's available online today! So in addition to the movies heading to video on demand early, there's another way that cinephiles can stay entertained while practicing social distancing.
The Detective Pikachu graphic novel adaptation comes from Legendary Comics, in collaboration with The Pokémon Company International. Written by Brian Buccellato with art by Nelson Dániel, the new content will be a comic book version of the Detective Pikachu movie. As such, we'll follow Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) as he teams up with a Pikachu who he can communicate with in search of his missing father.
It should be interesting to see how the graphic novel version of Detective Pikachu expands or adds to the movie's story. Depending on whether or not its a first person experience, we could get a deeper look into Tim's perspective. Additionally, it'll be fun to see how Ryan Reynolds' snappy voice performances translates to the page. Regardless, it should make Pokemon fans very happy.
Of course, this isn't the first comic book adaptation of a movie that's been making news lately. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker's comic book and novelization recently arrived, helping to expand the movie's story and answer lingering questions. Obviously these are very different projects, but the change in medium is intriguing.
Detective Pikachu made a whopping $433 million at the box office, appealing to audiences both domestic and international. Given its success and the brand's power, it would make sense to produce a sequel. This would allow more Pokemon species to be adapted into photorealistic film for the first time, and would likely make a ton of money in the process. But there hasn't been any updates, although it seems like the cast is interested.
Narratively, bringing Detective Pikachu back for a sequel would seemingly require more work on Ryan Reynolds' part. His talking Pikachu has been transformed back into his human form, opening up for him to appear more in live-action in a potential follow-up movie. But Reynolds is also a super busy actor with a thriving career, so timing would have to work out. Additionally, Justice Smith is set to appear in Jurassic World: Dominion, but it's unclear when that movie will kick production back up.
Detective Pikachu is available for home purchase now, including its comic book adaptation. Be sure to check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
