We know filming of the second Sonic the Hedgehog movie is well underway, but what about the supposed follow-up to the 2019 film Detective Pikachu? A sequel was even rumoured before the first one had been released, so what's going on?
According to Justice Smith, one of the lead stars of Detective Pikachu, it's probably best fans don't get their hopes up. During an interview with Inverse, Smith encouraged everyone to "bury" all hopes, as he doesn't think it's going to happen. Of course, if it does end up going ahead, he would "love" to participate. Here's the full exchange:
Speaking of Detective Pikachu, it's been a year since you were last asked about the possibility of Detective Pikachu 2. Do you think it's still going to happen and would you still be willing to participate?
Justice Smith: I would love to participate in Detective Pikachu 2. I don't know if it's going to happen. I think we have to just kind of bury our hopes. I don't think it's going to happen. I really hope so though. Honestly, I'm such a huge fan, who knows, who knows? I hope so.
Although Pikachu's movie debut was a box office success, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie had no issues outpacing it. There have also been rumours about more live-action pocket monster movies, so perhaps Legendary is just moving on from Pikachu.
Would you like to see a follow-up of sorts to the Detective Pikachu movie, if it was somehow possible? Yes, we know how it ended. Or should Legendary work on some other Pokémon movies? Have you even seen this movie yet? Leave a comment down below.
[source inverse.com, via nintendoenthusiast.com]
Comments 55
It’s probably a nightmare trying to pin Ryan Reynolds down for a sequel. The guy’s in everything.
Does anyone remember a couple years ago when a Detective Pikachu game was announced for Nintendo Switch? I wonder whatever happened to that?
I loved the first Detective Pikachu movie, would love for a sequel to be made, so hopefully it'll happen in the future.
I don't think there's enough momentum for second movie. First one did fair enough lets leave it at that. I wouldn't mind more games though.
Yeah im not surprised, it was a good enough movie and it even made some money but these days, if you spend 100m you expect back a bill in the box office.
Many movies have made bank but won't be getting more content because a bill seems to be the make or break.
Star Trek is a great example of this, all the movies made money, all over 350m on budgets less than half that, but even if they made profit, they didn't make a bill so no 4th instalment.
Unfortunately it seems to be the case with Hollywood these days, WB in particular are looking to emulate what Disney have done with Marvel but they haven't been able to do it.
This film made a respectable 450m on 150m budget but for a behemoth as hungry as WB right now, that isn't enough.
@LunarLunatone This is a common trend with Detective Pikachu apparently. I remember the 3DS game coming out ages after it was announced.
Anyway, I think the movie worked fine as a standalone adventure, and wrapped itself up rather nicely. It's one of those things that doesn't really need a sequel, but I wouldn't be opposed to another. Just wonder how they'd have Detective Pikachu return in another film. I think there's so much more of the Pokémon world to explore anyway.
DAMN DON'T HURT ME LIKE THAT RIGHT AFTER SNAP 2 FINALLY HAPPENED!
Anyway, the movie WAS a very self-contained story, though. I wouldn't be angry if they moved on to something else in Pokémon lore, but I really want another Pokémon movie damnit.
To be fair, they kind of wrote themselves into a corner with the ending of the first one. They'd either need to retcon the ending, do something creative that somehow makes sense with how the first movie ended, or just ignore the first movie altogether.
@Razer What do you mean a "bill"? That sound very weird and doesn't make much sense.
@MegaVel91
It'll make sense, just meet him on capital hill and he'll explain
@PBandSmelly Oh my god dude.
I'm really okay with this. I really dislike seeing CG Pokemon in a live action movie. Pokemon doesn't work in live action and there's nothing anyone can say to convince me otherwise.
Animate it! I hate the west's nonsense, irrational resistance to old fashion 2D animation! Thank God for Japan and for the tiny handful of direct to DVD/Blueray movies we still occasionally get in the west. The animated DC movies have been about 50 times better than the live action films. And I'd rather watch any of the Pokemon movies over the live action Detective Pikachu movie...
@MegaVel91
I regret nothing
@MegaVel91
Pretty sure he means billion
I think they could continue the series; have some sort of translator for Pikachu, or have him work with Reynolds and the main kid find his own true first partner. There's a lot of character to explore and it could pave the way for a different mascot. Which means the main character will get an Eevee these days
Detective Pikachu is my favorite movie, and while I'd love to see a sequel, there's no way it could make sense. If Tim's dad was 'turned into' Pikachu again, Tim would notice right off the bat. There'd have to be some stupid amnesia plot or something to make it work.
I actually preferred Detective Pikachu to the Sonic movie.
That's a real shame. Hope WB makes another Pokemon movie even if it's unrelated
I started watching it on NF a long time ago and I just couldn't do it, like, I remember the protag going on the train and that he failed as a trainer but that was it. I couldn't stand Pikachu talking with that voice, ugh. The reporter girl was annoying, the mc was boring, the talking Pikachu was irritating.
And I don't want to say the Poké designs were bad but the Poké designs were bad. I wish filmmakers stopped trying to portray cartoon characters realistically so much. Pokemon at least, doesn't need it.
I'd love a "toon" design that blends the anime style with live action, like Roger Rabbit did flawlessly. The potential to make something memorable is there fcol.
But yeah a sequel would suck if they could put that effort into making something more appropriate for Pokemon.
@MegaVel91 he means billion
I don't think a direct sequel would work storywise, but I would like Detective Pikachu to be the start of a 'Pokemon Cinematic Universe' comprised of several standalone yet interconnected films.
The next film could be a gym challenge story, the one after that about Lugia/Ho-Oh etc etc. Perhaps leading up to a film where the characters eventually come together (like Avengers, but also NOT like Avengers) to battle Team Rocket or something.
Forget sequels and just focus on other side stories that continue building the cinematic pokemon world. Detective Pikachu was a complete self-contained story, I can only see there being a sequel if they find a contrived way to "here we go again!" the plot.
@Razer This movie was actually an investment of $250 million(150 production + 100 marketing). It would have to make $750 million in order to warrant an equally expensive sequel.
I really liked the movie and I would be on for another one.
I think it was a good move to make a movie based on one of the more concept-heavy spin-offs rather than trying a straight up Pokémon red/blue style adventure. I'm hoping the Mario movie is secretly doing that - hoping that it's based on Mario Kart or Dr Mario or even Luigi's Mansion (something with a stronger hook than just a princess-rescue adventure).
Having said that, now that the world is established, they could try a more traditional Pokémon-trainer story.
@Heavyarms55 “Animate it!” They did. CGI is animation too and can be just as much if not more work. It’s fair enough you didn’t like it but reign in that spite please. Many did love it and it’s not like the existence of the one live action film stopped them producing more traditional 2D animations as well.
@Mogster This is most likely why Detective Pikachu was made first. It's a self contained story, much easier to make work in cinema tropes (no unfortunate implications of the main game / anime storyline of letting 10-years old explore the world alone). Testing waters before expanding the universe
@Steel76 I totally agree. I think there’s too many sequels and franchises in the movies these days. I really enjoyed the movie, but I’d fear a bad sequel would just spoil it
How or why though? Wasn't everything resolved by the end unlike the game?
Well, the movie didn't end in a huge cliffhanger like the game. They actually tied (most of) the loose ends.
I really liked both game and movie, but the way the game ended baffles me
@MegaVel91 @razer heh this was pretty confusing for me too but I assume for different reasons. In American & rap slang, a bill means $100 USD.
I thought this movie was so bad, and I really wanted to like it more. I'm ok with no sequel
Wonderful CGI, can’t remember the plot or the actors.
Given how the movie ended, how on earth is a sequel going to work?
A prequel, maybe, but .. also due to the limits in the film's story, there's not an awful lot there, either.
I fell like I was more hyped when the trailer came out, than when I actually finished watching the film. It’s been a while but I do remember enjoying it! However a few things I wished they showed more of were proper Pokémon battles (I know, not the point of the film). Like that Stadium scene in the beginning. The lighting for Pikachu’s attacks at the end were horrible. I wanted to see a proper thunderbolt or even Thunder and zap the sheet out of Mewtwo. That battle between Gengar and Blastoise… too short man. Again I get it, battling wasn’t the point Of the film. I didn’t mind the CGI at all, I thought it was amazing. I’d welcome another style like that 100%
@GalacticBreakdown no it means that studios who spend a 100 million to create a movie, normally expect 1b back from the box office.
It's totally unreasonable and it takes creativity away from Hollywood but for whatever reason, that seems to be what the studios are aiming for before green lighting a sequel.
Now if a movie gets close, like 700 or 800m, thats still good enough but the line is 1b, if you look at the top 25 highest grossing movies of all time, all of them have grossed in over a bill and 90% of them have been made in the last 25 years.
@AndyC_MK https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a864366/star-trek-4-cast-release-date-trailer-plot-spoilers-chris-pine-chris-hemsworth/
Apparently 385m and a rotten tomato score of 86 is "underperformed".
This is just how the movie industry works now.
@Razer yeah I get how you meant it but like I said, the common usage in America is a bill is $100.
@Razer "This film made a respectable 450m on 150m budget but for a behemoth as hungry as WB right now, that isn't enough."
A general rule of thumb is that a film has to make back at least twice its budget in order to turn a profit. That's because studios spend an immense amount of money on marketing and distribution. In the case of "Detective Pikachu", $450 million on a $150 million budget puts it in the "barely breaking even" category.
@nessisonett "The guy’s in everything."
Yet it sometimes feels like he's in nothing, doesn't it? I mean sure, pandemic, but it's been 3 full years since Deadpool 2 and 2 full years since Detective Pikachu which a lot of people probably don't even know he was in. He was in Hobbes and Shaw but more of a cameo than a role, which again, a lot of people may not even know about. He made that 6 billionaire assassins movie and he has NPC, whatever it's called, coming out, but he's hardly in any marketing that I'm aware.
Maybe it's b/c DC and Disney have bought up all of the time slots everywhere but if you told me Ryan Reynolds retired from movie acting to make twitter commercials for Aviation Gin and Mint mobile I'd half believe it. I mean Blake Lively, I'd never leave the house.
So yeah, maybe he's in everything, but everything nobody knows about. He's no Rock, Jason Statham or my recently discovered Frank Grillo.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0342029/
@Mountain_Man If you spend $300mill and make $450mill, that's not "barely break even" that's a return of investment of 50%. It's like a low income Marvel movie.
Or they could just maker another live action Pokemon movie in the same universe that isn't connected to detective Pikachu. Why does it have to be a sequel? The story was completed anyways
@Mountain_Man not sure how you're doing your math but the 150m budget is everything.
It's the cost for production, distribution, wages and marketing. So when all is said and done, to bring the movie to theaters and pay everybody, 150m was the total budget.
All sources im reading all mention that Detective Pikachu made profit, more than double It's budget in fact, but for whatever ridiculous reason, that still doesn't warrant a sequel.
If you can show me sources that claim more than the 150m budget was spent, then I'll believe what you say.
But until then, it seems me like the studio and those involved with making this, would prefer to put effort into even more profitable ventures, which leaves ventures such as this one, which are perfectly fine, in the dust.
@Fiskern I said that a movie needs to make back AT LEAST twice its budget, and that's on the low end. Depending on how much marketing was done (and for "Detective Pikachu", it was a hell of a lot), the break even point can easily creep up to three times the budget.
I mean, a sequel wouldn't make sense at all with this movie. Best to go for a new story with the same style I'd say.
Didn't they teased a spinoff movie starring Jigglypuff ?
How would they even do a sequel to this movie, Detective Pikachu already SPOILER turned back to his original form as Tim's dad so is not like they can just simply turn him back into a Pikachu and give him back his amnesia or something SPOILER I really don't think a sequel would work out unless they change the main characters into new ones and do an entirely new story.
@Ogbert Nope. Not reigning anything in. Don't like it, not changing my mind.
It's a form of animation yes, but far less interesting or impressive compared to classic, true animation.
@Heavyarms55 "but far less interesting or impressive compared to classic, true animation"
You clearly have no knowledge of animation and how it all works. All kinds of animation require immense dedication, patience, skill and expertise. And most 2D animation is done on computers now and actually has large amounts of what people consider 'CGI' too now anyway. Even stop-motion does. Laika, one of the best stop-motion studios in the world animates facial expression in 3D software then 3D prints them out for their puppets, blending the two forms seamlessly.
Also I said it fine if it's not for you, you're entitled to have a preference, everyone is. Just don't be nasty and spiteful about it, it's not cool and it's totally unnecessary. Just be nice and respectful when voicing your opinions it's not hard.
I'm not a huge fan of the 2D animation Pokemon films but I'm not sitting here mouthing off saying dumb stuff like "Don't make any more because I don't like them", because that would be ignorant, entitled and just super stupid.
@Chibi_Manny Dialga comes in and reverses some time stuff? (not a serious suggestion btw)
Well that sucks. I was hoping for a sequel I loved seeing photorealistic Pokemon, and I wanted to see where the story goes after the first movie... but to be honest I’d be happy enough with an anime continuation haha. I think they did a great job creating an interesting set of characters to build upon.
"Although Pikachu's movie debut was a box office success, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie had no issues outpacing it."
But Detective Pikachu made $433 million globally, while Sonic did $319 million... Sonic DID 2-4 million better in the states, but had FAR less competition. (second week of Avengers Endgame and summer releases vs. 2nd week of Harley Quinn and a slow spring)
I'm honestly really curious what I'm missing here. Are they just saying Sonic reached certain money numbers faster, despite doing $114 million less at the box office?
I doubt money is even an issue, it is probably more about the fact that the movie had an actual ending and it isn't that easily possible to make sequel from there, at least not a good one.
Chances might be higher for a movie in the same style that isn't directly connected to Detective Pikachu, maybe only same universe and nothing else.
@Ogbert Oh? Did I hurt your feelings? Does someone online having a different opinion make you angry? Gotta start throwing around childish name calling? You think I care what you say?
Do yourself a favor and get over yourself.
I think there will be more live action Pokémon movies in the style of Detective Pikachu, but I'm sure that none of such movies will be proper sequels to Detective Pikachu.
@Heavyarms55 you say you don't care about what they think, but that post sure reads like you care lol
@Razer "150m budget is everything ... It's the cost for production, distribution, wages and marketing."
No, $150 million was the budget for production costs alone.
https://screenrant.com/detective-pikachu-movie-budget-cost-pokemon/
That article puts the "break even" point at $300 million, but I suspect it was higher than that given the immense amount of marketing and wide distribution. Warner Bros wanted the Pokemon universe to be their answer to the Marvel films, at least in terms of money making power, so they sunk a huge amount of money into "Detective Pikachu" trying to create a tent pole for a whole new film franchise. At $450 million, it's very likely they barely made their money back.
@Razer Star trek is getting a 4th installment in the new franchise...
I am pretty sure that there will come a Movie in the same Way, but not beeing detective Pikachu.
There are many Stories you can tell in the Pokemon World.
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