Summary

• Detective Pikachu had potential to become a franchise with a new direction for the Pokémon company.
• Despite not being a massive hit, the movie was profitable, leading to talks of a sequel.
• Detective Pikachu 2 may happen, but with potential reboots and a different storyline due to actors' popularity.

Ryan Reynolds is at the top of the A-list lately, but one of his earlier films failed to get a sequel made despite earning hundreds of millions at the box office, Detective Pikachu. Reynolds has been a rising star in Hollywood for decades, but it wasn't until the 2000s and 2010s that the actor began to become a household name. As his celebrity status began to peak, he was appearing everywhere, from cameos in shows like Family Guy, to appearing on the Korean version of The Masked Singer.

At this point in his career, he also starred in numerous high profile projects, including a leading role in the Detective Pikachu movie. This was a huge deal, because Pokémon is recognized as the highest grossing media franchise in the world, with video games that sell millions of copies, movies, TV shows, a tie-in trading card game, and countless other merchandise associated with the brand. Considering the gigantic weight behind the IP, Reynolds' role in Detective Pikachu was widely anticipated to be just the beginning of what would become a larger franchise, but now, it looks like the franchise is well and truly dead.

Ryan Reynolds’ Detective Pikachu Had Potential To Become A Franchise

It Could Have Started A Whole Pokéverse

Detective Pikachu was not the first Pokémon movie to be made, or even to receive a global theatrical release. The IP has been adapted many times over into home movies, feature films, and theatrical movies. However, Detective Pikachu did appear to be a significant move in a new direction for the Pokémon company. Prior to 2019, Pokémon movies existed solely as animated features. Detective Pikachu broke the mold and delivered a live-action story with hyperrealistic Pokémon creatures.

In addition, it was building a story that lent itself to being expanded. In fact, even before the movie was released in 2019, the studio that helped to develop Detective Pikachu announced a sequel was already in the works. In the following months and years, names of writers and directors were floated, and executives suggested things were in motion, but there was absolutely no real movement regarding the sequel. Despite excitement for the project, a talented cast, and plans to expand the franchise, something stopped the sequel from progressing.

Detective Pikachu Wasn’t A Massive Hit (But Not A Flop Either)

It Earned A Respectable Box Office Total

It's worth considering the investment made when creating the movie, considering the heavy use of CGI to bring Pokémon to life, and the budgetary requirements of recruiting talent like Reynolds to the film. The movie had a total production budget of approximately $150 million (via The Numbers), and ultimately grossed just shy of $430 million. Even factoring in a massively expensive marketing budget that would match the film's production, that figure only amounts to $300 million, meaning the studios and everyone involved likely got a decent payout.

It's not the most profitable movie of all time, but compared to everything else that had a theatrical release by the Pokémon company, it was by far the most popular (via The Numbers). So it is unlikely that the movie's turnover is to blame for why the sequel has never made it out of development hell. The more likely reason behind any delays is potentially just how popular actors like Reynolds are now. Reynolds has been playing Deadpool for over a decade, and the character's popularity has only grown since ing the MCU, so it may be hard for the star to return to another franchise.

Will Detective Pikachu 2 Ever Happen?

The Sequel Was Already Confirmed, But Is It Shelved

Ultimately, the latest news regarding Detective Pikachu 2 does appear to reaffirm that the movie will happen at some point. However, when it will be released, who will star, and if anyone will even still be interested are a very different set of unknowns. Aside from the actors' rapid spikes in popularity, including Justice Smith, who has been appearing in more feature films, and Kathryn Newton, who has also ed the MCU as Ant-Man's daughter, Cassie, the sequel is likely to look very different.

Detective Pikachu 2 may be in some sort of development, but it's entirely possible that the sequel will look more like a reboot, or a significant departure from the original. With the first movie ending on a massive reveal, and the film having a very firm storyline revolving around Smith's character and his relationship with his father, played by Ryan Reynolds, if both or either of these actors do not return, the movie will need to find a new direction. And at that point, it may not feel like a sequel to Detective Pikachu at all.