Ryan Reynolds has done the impossible and brought to life on the big screen one of the most iconic fictional characters in entertainment. His perseverance and never-quit attitude made it possible for a beloved character to get their own live-action feature film, and this summer, he is all set to do it again. After the box office success of Deadpool , a movie that Reynolds was attached to for over a decade, his next film sees him voice a popular video game character in Pokemon Detective Pikachu.
The character of Pikachu has only appeared in video games and animated series, always appearing as a sidekick to Ash Ketchum, the protagonist for most of the incarnations of animated movies and television series. The live-action iteration of the character, however, will speak and go on an adventure with a different unlikely hero. The story of the movie sees the duo try to solve a mystery in a world where humans coexist with small creatures with powerful abilities that they can train to fight with, use to defend themselves with, or just keep as pets.
With the first trailer of Pokemon Detective Pikachu being released months ago, Reynolds recently released a hilarious new video on his own YouTube channel, where he reveals the intricate method acting that allows him to inhabit the character of Pikachu.
The video even has Blake Lively, Reynolds’ own wife, making a cameo as part of the joke. The wonderfully funny video is definitely part of the unique marketing campaign for Pokemon Detective Pikachu and the kind of viral marketing that Reynolds is fast becoming known for since he employed similar tactics for Deadpool.
The world of Pokemon first appeared as a video game franchise for Nintendo’s handheld Gameboy console in 1996. Since then the franchise has evolved into various video games, animated movies, television shows, and has had a huge impact on global pop culture. Pokemon Detective Pikachu looks to introduce Pikachu to the world for the first time in a live-action feature film and having Reynolds involved can only help.
When the project was first announced, there were a lot of skeptics that thought the concept of having the adorable, but silent, Pikachu speak was not going to come off well on camera. But Reynolds’ involvement in the role completely turned around industry insiders, as well as potential fans of the franchise. Reynolds brings his own brand of dry wit, straight-faced humor and off the wall comedy to the iconic character.
Pokemon Detective Pikachu releases on May 10, 2019.