Given the company's bigger push into video games, there is great likelihood Netflix will work with The Pokémon Company on a game that ties into the show too.
IT may not be too long until we see a real-life Ash and friends alongside Pikachu in the Pokémon universe.
According to a new "exclusive" from Variety, a magazine in the US, Netflix is working on a new live-action Pokémon series.
It's apparently still in the stages of "early development" and no details are currently available about the plot.
However, sources state that the live-action series might be similar to the 2019 Detective Pikachu movie, which stars Ryan Reynolds and Justice Smith.
Joe Henderson, Lucifer‘s co-showrunner and executive producer, will reportedly write and executive produce the upcoming show.
Netflix and Henderson’s representatives have not commented on the announcement so far.
Netflix has made itself home to a number of Pokémon shows and films, including Pokémon: Mewtwo Strikes Back and episodes of the Pokémon anime. Additionally, they also streamed Pokémon: Indigo League and Pokémon Journeys.
Netflix has also announced or streamed a bunch of game-related titles and live-action anime adaptations.
The push for a live-action Pokémon show is reportedly part of a wider move to produce more shows based on video game sources, like the announcement of a Far Cry and Splinter Cell animated series, and the upcoming live-action Assassin's Creed series. (See also: Pokémon and Dragon Age among many rumored Netflix shows in development )
A live-action Pokémon series has the potential to be a massive hit for Netflix. Given the company's bigger push into video games, perhaps Netflix will work with The Pokémon Company on a game that ties into the show too.
While that may be the most likely and potentially lucrative approach, it’s hard not to wonder if this is the perfect opportunity for someone to really dive into the darker side of the Pokémon universe.
The idea of a “dark” live-action Pokémon series probably sounds like a joke.
Actually, the entire idea of a gritty live-action reboot/adaptation of a property previously intended for younger audiences has become something of a joke in social media.
We’ve all seen that idea go very wrong in the past such as Sword Art Online and Bleach.
However, that doesn’t mean that a live-action Pokémon series doesn’t have the chance to offer something so much more interesting than more of the same.
With still a growing population of fans and millions more who grew up with the franchise, it is exciting to see how this live-action series develops.
Tags: #Netflix, #liveactionseries, #Pokemon, #anime