The day many fans have dreamed of has finally arrived, as The Hollywood Reporter brings word that a bidding war has erupted over the film rights to a live action Pokemon movie. The Pokemon Co. has reportedly held a top-secret auction for the rights, with Thomas Tull’s Legendary, Warner Bros., and Sony all vying for the winning bid.
The outlet notes that Legendary appears to be the favorite for the time being, but since their parent company Wanda is Chinese, it could pose a problem given tensions between China and Japan in the past. Check back here for more details on the live action Pokemon movie as we learn them!
Pokemon debuted in Japan in 1996, before making its way to America in 1998. The series began as two titles for Nintendo’s original Game Boy which saw players tasked with catching and training all of the Pokemon (short for Pocket Monsters) to become the ultimate Pokemon Master. The franchise quickly steamrolled into an extensive library of video games, in addition to a popular trading card game, and anime/film series. Over 279 million units have been sold since the series began, making it one of the best selling video game franchises in history.
Nineteen animated Pokemon films have been produced and distributed since 1998, though only five have played in theaters in the United States. Warner Bros. distributed the first three films which brought in $85 million, $43 million, and $17 million as the domestic box office, respectively.
If you missed the Pokemon Super Bowl commercial, you can still watch it below.
