The real mystery of the first trailer for Detective Pikachu is whether hearing Deadpool’s voice come out of the adorable Pokémon is hilarious or nightmarish. The movie, based on the video game of the same name, looks pretty insane, giving us major Who Killed Roger Rabbit? vibes—except instead of Toons, it’s collectible creatures who can only say variations on their own names. Except, that is, for the lightning-bolt-tailed gumshoe voiced by Ryan Reynolds.
Detective Pikachu is directed by Rob Letterman (Goosebumps), co-written by Letterman and Nicole Perlman (Captain Marvel, Guardians of the Galaxy). The worldbuilding will be especially interesting, to see how Ryme City presents humans and Pokémon living alongside each other, and what it means to have given up a career as a Pokémon trainer and then work alongside one of those creatures in a very different context.
Also to see all the live-action Pokémon! Grumpy Jigglypuff is appropriately threatening, while Mr. Mime is ::chefskiss::
The official synopsis:
The story begins when ace private eye Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim (Justice Smith) to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry’s former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds): a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to communicate with one another, Tim and Pikachu join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery. Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City—a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world—they encounter a diverse cast of Pokémon characters and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe.
We can only assume they’re hoarding the red-band trailer for later.
Detective Pikachu comes to theaters May 11, 2019.
