LEGENDARY PICTURES AND UNIVERSAL PICTURES BEGIN PRINCIPAL PHOTOGRAPHY ON POKÉMON'S DETECTIVE PIKACHU

LONDON, Jan. 24, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Legendary Entertainment and Universal Pictures announced today that principal photography has begun on Detective Pikachu, the first live-action film based on the globally popular Pokémon franchise.  

Starring Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool series), Ken Watanabe (Godzilla), Justice Smith (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom) and Kathryn Newton (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri), the film is from director Rob Letterman (Goosebumps, Gulliver's Travels) and writers Nicole Perlman and Letterman—with Eric Pearson and Tom McCarthy having completed the production polishes.  Detective Pikachu arrives in theaters in North America on May 10, 2019.

Pokémon has delighted fans of all ages around the world for over two decades.  With more than 300 million video games sold worldwide, 23.6 billion Pokémon TCG cards shipped to 74 countries, and an animated series spanning 20 seasons, Pokémon is one of the most successful entertainment properties in the world.

A Detective Pikachu video game is coming to the Nintendo 3DS family of systems early this year where the new Detective Pikachu character will be introduced.  The game is used as inspiration for the storyline of the film coming out in May 2019.

Mary Parent and Cale Boyter produce Detective Pikachu for Legendary Entertainment, while Joe Caracciolo, Jr. (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Logan) and The Pokémon Company's Tsunekazu Ishihara serve as its executive producers. Legendary's Alexandra Mendes co-produces. 

The talented creative team includes director of photography John Mathieson (Logan, Gladiator), production designer Nigel Phelps (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Transformers: Dark of the Moon), editor Mark Sanger (Gravity, The Jungle Book), costume designer Suzie Harman (RocknRolla, The Death of Stalin).  The film's visual effects will be crafted by Moving Picture Company (The Jungle Book, Wonder Woman) and Framestore (Paddington 2, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2).

Universal Pictures will handle distribution of Detective Pikachu outside Japan.  Toho will distribute in Japan, as it has done in its partnership with Legendary on the blockbuster monster reboot for Godzilla.

About Legendary Entertainment

Legendary Entertainment is a leading media company with film (Legendary Pictures), television and digital (Legendary Television and Digital Media) and comics (Legendary Comics) divisions dedicated to owning, producing and delivering content to worldwide audiences.  Legendary has built a library of marquee media properties and has established itself as a trusted brand which consistently delivers high-quality, commercial entertainment including some of the world's most popular intellectual property.  In aggregate, Legendary Pictures-associated productions have realized grosses of more than $14 billion worldwide at the box office.  To learn more visit: www.legendary.com

About The Pokémon Company

The Pokémon Company International, a subsidiary of The Pokémon Company in Japan, manages the property outside of Asia and is responsible for brand management, licensing, marketing, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, the animated TV series, home entertainment and the official Pokémon website.  Pokémon was launched in Japan in 1996, and today is one of the most popular children's entertainment properties in the world.  For more information, please visit www.pokemon.com.

About Toho

Toho Company, Limited, is a Japanese entertainment studio focused on the development, production, exhibition, and distribution of powerful content for motion pictures, television and theater.  Founded in 1932, it remains a prominent force in bringing brands and original storytelling with versatile talents to audiences worldwide.  Its subsidiaries include Toho Cinemas, the highest grossing exhibition company in Japan.

About Universal Pictures

Universal Pictures is a division of Universal Studios (www.universalstudios.com).  Universal Studios is part of NBCUniversal.  NBCUniversal is one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production and marketing of entertainment, news and information to a global audience.  NBCUniversal owns and operates a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group and world-renowned theme parks.  NBCUniversal is a subsidiary of Comcast Corporation.

SOURCE Universal Pictures

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