Fanboys Anonymous

According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, it was found that the Pokémon company has been courting several notable studios for the sale of the live-action film rights to the aforementioned franchise through a top secret auction. The studios in question were Warner Bros, Sony, and Legendary Pictures. It was found that Legendary Pictures emerged as the potential victor in this tournament to catch the rights even though Warner Bros has produced Pokémon movies in the past such as Pokémon: The First Movie.

Ash and Pikachu!

This arrangement does present itself with issues, though. Legendary Pictures is owned by a company based in China, and political tensions exist between both China and Japan. This can complicate any sort of arrangement for the rights of the Pokémon franchise. However, Legendary Pictures did release Godzilla in 2014—another well known Japanese property.

As for how this film can work, there are four essential criteria, in my opinion, which should be satisfied to generate a Pokémon film that could be taken seriously:

1. A good director and writer(s). While that is essential for just about any film, this is a property beloved by many generations both young and old and would need folk able to produce a film that can be fun first and foremost. Suggestions I've heard include Phil Lord and Chris Miller, Gareth Edwards, and Colin Trevorrow.
2. A big budget. When I first saw Avatar, it opened the possibility in my mind of a big budget Pokémon film as they created a whole new world from scratch with all sorts of strange creatures in that world. Avatar had a budget of $237 million, and given the sheer scope of that world, I feel $250 million would be the best.
3. A great visual effects company. A company with extensive history and experience in Creature Design is absolutely essential. All Pokémon have unique appearances that should be done well otherwise it just wouldn't feel authentic. Translating 150+ creatures from an animated medium to a live action medium presents many challenges that not many can do well.
4. Cast the actors well. I don't think I really need to mention the controversies that surrounded the casting of previous American anime adaptations such as Dragonball Evolution and The Last Airbender right? Let's not do that again.

So what do you think of the prospect of a live action Pokémon movie? What do you think should go into one? Let us know in the comments below!