Prepare For a Live-Action POKEMON Film! Two Studios Are in a Bidding War For The Rights
It was inevitable. We all know the day will come when we see a feature film live-action adaptation of Pokemon on the big screen. As of this moment, Warner Bros. is in a heated bidding war with Legendary Pictures for the film rights to the property.
According to THR, Sony Pictures is also interested but doesn't seem to be going after it as hard as Legendary and WB. The report says that Legendary is the current frontrunner for the movie rights, but there are some political issues that could get in the way. The report explains:
Legendary has now emerged as a potential victor to bring Pikachu and other Pokemon characters to theaters, according to a source. And that could pose a potential problem considering Legendary's ownership by the Chinese real estate and investment conglomerate Wanda. There have been long simmering political tensions between Beijing and Tokyo, which most recently peaked with Japan’s criticism of China’s territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. Those pressures have also led to a cultural strain between the two countries in which China effectively banned Japanese films for three years, which was only recently broken.
Who would have ever thought these kinds of issues would get in the way of a studio wanting to make a Pokemon film? It didn't seem to stop them from getting the rights to make a Godzilla movie! As you know, Legendary Pictures has a great record with making quality films. I think they would be the perfect studio to bring Pokemon to life on the big screen.
They don't come out and say the movie is going to be live-action, but over the years, there have been eighteen animated Pokemon movies, with a nineteenth movie set to come out this summer. There are already a lot of animated films out there, so I think it's common sense that the studios will want to make a live-action and CGI hybrid film.
What do you think about Legendary or WB eventually making a live-action/CGI Pokemon film?