'Pokemon' is set for a live action movie makeover.
Pokemon's Pikachu
Legendary Entertainment confirmed to Variety magazine that they have secured the rights to make the movie and are partnering with the Pokemon Company to make a 'Detective Pikachu' film.
Other details of the movie are being closely guarded, but Legendary did reveal that they will be fast tracking the film to get production going in 2017.
Detective Pikachu is a new character in the Pokemon universe having only appeared in Japan in February.
The new character isn't as agile as the original Pikachu, so has to rely on his intelligence to beat his enemies, and he gets help from Tim Goodman who is the only boy who can understand what the detective says.
Rather than a standalone film it is expected that 'Detective Pikachu' will act as a launch pad for a franchise.
Universal Pictures will handle distribution of the live action film outside Japan as it has done with Legendary's other movies for years.
The Pokemon brand has never been bigger than right now following the release of mobile game 'Pokemon Go'.
The augmented reality title sends players out into the real world to catch, battle and train the cute virtual creatures and it has become a global sensation, sending Nintendo's stock price soaring.
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