If Detective Pikachu was any indication, proof exists that live-action franchises can certainly work, at least for Pokemon (but not Dragon Ball, Avatar, Death Note [Netflix], etc.). It seems that Netflix knows this and is gearing up for a live-action series of Pokemon, though this news comes in the form of “early development” stages and that is about all but the prospect is surely exciting.
Sources report that the series is coming from Joe Henderson, who is attached as the executive producer and writer. Henderson is currently working as the co-showrunner for Lucifer, a show that went to Netflix after its series’ cancellation from Fox. The series went over to Netflix after its third season where it has received a fourth and fifth already with a sixth and final season on the way. It stands to reason that Henderson’s attention will shift from angels and demons over to Pocket Monsters shortly after.
According to sources close to Variety, the upcoming Netflix-exclusive Pokemon series will be similar to Detective Pikachu, a surprise knock-out at the box office as well as among critics and fan reviews that starred Ryan Reynolds.
Not much is known about the plot or the planned release window for the series so keep in mind that it may be quite a while before we see anything develop. Netflix is sort of known to announce projects somewhat prematurely that never really go anywhere or take excessive years to get off the ground. Previously, Netflix announced shows based on Cowboy Bebop, Far Cry, Splinter Cell, Terminator, Gundam, and others to name a few, all of which have not really gone anywhere after their initial announcement, save for Cowboy Bebop which is moving full steam ahead after several years in development.
Say what you will about other anime-turned-live-action, Detective Pikachu was pretty solid. And if we are getting some creative and passionate people on board to help usher in a new era of Pokemon projects, we are all for it. We just may have to wait 10 years or longer to see it on our televisions.
