For reasons that I can’t even begin to understand, Danny DeVito has not been cast as Detective Pikachu‘s titular gumshoe. That honour belongs instead to one Ryan Reynolds.
Image: The Pokémon Company/Getty/Dimitrios Kambouris
Today, Legendary Entertainment announced to The Hollywood Reporter that Reynolds has been cast as the Detective Pikachu in its upcoming live-action film about the talking electric Pokemon who also happens to solve mysteries. Reynolds joins Justice Smith and Kathryn Newton, whose characters will aid Pikachu as he investigates the kidnapping of Smith’s character’s father.
Details about Detective Pikachu are sparse right now aside from the broad strokes of the plot, but Reynolds’ casting is really the key piece of information here given how important and, frankly, odd his role in the film will be. Obviously, Pokemon do not typically speak (Team Rocket’s Meowth notwithstanding), so Reynolds’ performance will likely determine whether the film makes or breaks it at the office.