A sequel to Detective Pikachu is already in the works

The entire Pokemon phenomenon is one which has largely passed me by; I certainly knew of it, how could I not, but it never sparked my interest. So it came as somewhat of a surprise when I wound up enjoying the first trailer for POKEMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU as much as I did. The folks at Legendary Pictures are clearly quite pumped about the upcoming film as well, as THR has reported that they've moved forward with a sequel.

As the release of POKEMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU is still several months away, developing a sequel at this stage shows some real confidence in the project. Legendary Pictures already have a screenwriter for the sequel lined up in Oren Uziel, best known for 22 JUMP STREET and THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX. The scribe also has several other big projects on the horizon, including SONIC THE HEDGEHOG and SUPERGIRL. Here's hoping that Legendary's faith in the project pays off and the film is at least as half as fun as the trailers make it look. POKEMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU stars Justice Smith (JURASSIC WORLD: FALLEN KINGDOM), Kathryn Newton (Big Little Lies), and Ken Watanabe (GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS), with Ryan Reynolds (DEADPOOL 2) serving as the voice and facial motion-capture of Detective Pikachu himself.

The official synopsis for POKEMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU:

The story begins when ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry’s former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu: a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to communicate with one another, Tim and Pikachu join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery. Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City—a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world—they encounter a diverse cast of Pokémon characters and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe.

POKEMON: DETECTIVE PIKACHU will hit theaters on May 10, 2019.