Following the massive success of Pokemon GO, Legendary is looking at developing a live-action Pokemon movie
Although plans appear to be in the very early stages, Deadline is reporting that Legendary Pictures is looking into developing a live-action Pokemon movie! At this point, no specific deal has been worked out, but the article notes that long-gestating plans to secure the big screen rights to Pokemon are now being bolstered by the massive success of the augmented reality game Pokemon GO.
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The first Pokemon game 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 evolved into an extensive library of video games, in addition to a popular trading card game, and an 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.
19 animated Pokemon movies 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 at the domestic box office, respectively.
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Pokemon GO, which has already become a sizable pop culture phenomena all its own, offers players the chance to catch, trade, and battle in the real world by utilizing GPS location information. Pokemon GO’s gameplay experience goes beyond what appears on screen as players explore their neighborhoods, communities and the world they live in to discover Pokémon alongside friends and other players.
What do you want to see from a live-action Pokemon movie? Have you been playing Pokemon GO? Let us know in the comments below!
