For reasons that I can’t even begin to understand, Danny DeVito has not been cast as Detective Pikachu’s titular gumshoe. That honor belongs instead to one Ryan Reynolds.
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 Pokémon 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, Pokémon 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.
