Pikachu and Rocket Raccoon are about to have one more thing in common, aside from size and deadliness. As Variety reports, Guardians of the Galaxy writers Nicole Perlman and Alex Hirsch are in negotiations to write the first-ever live-action Pokémon film. As they say in the industry, “Pika pika!”
The very smart studio execs at Legendary recently acquired the rights to the Pokémon franchise, completing the deal just two weeks after the Pokémon Go app swept the world up in a collective quest to catch ‘em all. Pokémon didn’t seem like such a hot commodity even a couple of months ago, and nobody was scrambling to make the franchise’s next animated adventure. But the cute little monsters now find themselves back in the public spotlight thanks to one of the most popular gaming apps in history, which allows users to catch and battle Pokémon in real life (well, pretend real life).
As for the new film, it’s reportedly based on the upcoming game Detective Pikachu, which might pose a problem for Perlman and Hirsch because, well, Pikachu doesn’t really say much other than variations on his own name. But the odds are good that they’ll find other places to show off their skill for witty banter.
Both writers are, after all, veterans of the craft. Perlman came up with Marvel and will also be co-writing the forthcoming superhero film Captain Marvel, while Hirsch created the popular Disney animated show Gravity Falls.