Netflix Developing Live-Action Pokémon Series

Add Pokémon to the list of western live-action adaptations that no one really asked for but Netflix is delivering anyway.

In a report which hit entertainment website Variety, on Monday, July 26th, they have reported that Netflix is in the very early stage of development on a live-action Pokémon project. Unfortunately, details beyond that are pretty scarce. We know that Joe Henderson (co-showrunner, executive producer of Lucifer) will be the executive producer for the Pokémon project, but since he’s busy wrapping up season six of Lucifer, it might be quite a while before we hear any other details regarding the pocket monsters.

Now, if you know me and my writing, you know that I’m not a fan of live-action adaptations of anime and manga. They tend to be nowhere near as good as the original, no matter what country they’re from. However, according to the initial report, the live-action series will be something akin to the live-action Detective Pikachu movie that was released a couple of years ago — which I thought was actually pretty good (fight me) — so I’m not ready to automatically bury this project.

If Henderson and Netflix can pull off a television series that has just the right amount of grit and humor, this could be an amazing spectacle that pushes the success of the franchise on into the future. I have no idea what kind of story I’d want to see from a live-action Pokémon series but so long as it has an overarching story that can appeal to audience members of all ages, it could prove to be a powerhouse project that lines the pockets of Netflix executives with more of that sweet, sweet money.

What do you want to see from a live-action Pokémon series? Do you even want to see this project make it off the ground? Sound off in the comments or on social media and let us know what you think.

Source: Variety