Portlandia co-creator Jonathan Krisel is in negotiations to take over helming the Pokemon Detective Pikachu sequel from Rob Letterman.
The long-awaited Pokemon Detective Pikachu sequel is now in the final stage of its director.
As reported by Deadline, Jonathan Krisel is in negotiations with Legendary Pictures to helm the sequel to the hit show of 2019. Krisel is primarily known for his work in TV comedy. He has co-created and directed episodes of IFC’s Portlandia and FX’s Baskets. In addition, he has directed episodes of Kroll’s Show, Man Seeking Woman as well as segments of Saturday Night Live and Funny or Die Presents. The debut of his feature-length directorial debut was announced in 2019, but no news has been announced about the project.
RELATED: Pokemon Shares New Information on Ash Ketchum’s Replacements
The very first Detective Pikachu was directed by Rob Letterman and was loosely based on the 2016 game with the same name. The story followed teenager Tim Goodman (Justice Smith) who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his father with the help of a sleuthing Pikachu ( Ryan Reynolds) which only he can comprehend. Positive reviews were given to the lead actors in the film as well as the humor and CGI renderings that showcased Pokemon in a real-life setting. It grossed $433 million worldwide and is now considered one of the top movies in the popular category of films based on video gaming.
Nintendo’s Upcoming Films
Legendary announced the possibility of a Detective Pikachu sequel was in development before the release of the first film, however, no further details were released at the time. In 2021, Smith said he didn’t expect the sequel to be released, saying “I think we have to just kind of bury our hopes. I’m not convinced it’s going to happen. I would like to see it happen.” However, in January of this year, a representative from Legendary confirmed that Detective Pikachu 2 was developing for the studio. This is in line with rumors that Nintendo has nearly completed work on a sequel Pokemon game which is set to be released on the Nintendo Switch.
RELATED: How Pokemon Subtly Created More Character
Nintendo’s next attempt at bringing its characters to the big screen is The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The film’s star-studded cast includes Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Charlie Day, and Seth Rogen, and it’s scheduled to release on April 5.
There is no release date for the Detective Pikachu sequel.