When it comes to Hollywood, whether it be through TV shows or movies, when a property does well, the immediate thing that they try to do is make a sequel. After all, if it worked once and made money, why not do it again? So when Pokemon: Detective Pikachu came out in 2019, many wondered how it would do. The film was the first live-action Pokemon property done on the big screen and featured some key departures from both the game it was based on and the anime it was a reference to. But the movie did well, and Detective Pikachu 2 seemed like a lock.
How so? Well, not only was it well-received by fans and critics, but it made $430 million back in 2019. That made it the biggest video game film of all time at the box office. Many consider that film to be the start of the “renaissance” of video game adaptations. After that, we got the two successful Sonic The Hedgehog movies, and then this year, we got The Last of Us. However, despite that success and profit, Detective Pikachu 2 hasn’t been confirmed or given a release date.
Recall that the movies with Sonic both happened after the first film with Detective Pikachu, so we arguably should’ve gotten it out by now, but that’s not the case. So where is this film?
Well, Polygon asked some people at Legendary Entertainment, the team behind the first film, and got a message saying it was “in active development.” That’s a bit surprising for various reasons. First, the star of the first film, Justice Smith, said a while back that he didn’t think the sequel would get made. Of course, he wanted it to get made, but he was given no indication that one was happening.
Second, the writers of the first film have said that they weren’t a part of the sequel as its stands:
“It’s an ongoing conversation that is still not over to this day.”
They cited there were some “legal and rights issues” that may have been holding the film up. So where does that leave fans who are hoping for a sequel to come? Well, it leaves them “holding the bag,” as it were. By all indications, a sequel should happen. If anything, this should be proof that a live-action movie can work and look good. You’d think Legendary, The Pokemon Company, and others would jump at a chance to make more within this universe. Yet, they’re not.