Pokemon finds its first female lead in Big Little Lies star Kathryn Newton
The live action Pokémon movie has found its female lead and it's Kathryn Newton, known for her role of Reese Witherspoon’s daughter in the HBO hit drama Big Little Lies, as reported by Variety.
Kathryn Newton. YouTube
The film titled Detective Pikachu will see Newton play the character of a junior news reporter who partners with the male lead Justice Smith and his Pikachu to solve a mystery. The film will be directed by Rob Letterman, known for Gulliver’s Travels and Monsters Vs Aliens, and the script is by Nicole Perlman and Alex Hirsch. The film is produced by Legendary and will be distributed by Universal outside Japan, as it has done for all other Legendary films. The Pokémon Company’s long time collaborator Toho will handle the franchise in Japan, as reported by Variety.
Newton’s upcoming projects include BBC’s Little Women miniseries, the Supernatural spin-off Wayward Sisters, and films like Blockers and Ben is Back opposite Julia Roberts.
Pokémon, an anime character from Japan, was first introduced in 1996 and went on to become one of the biggest pop culture phenomenons worldwide with more than 295 million video games sold and 23.6 billion trading card games shipped to 74 countries. The animated series has spanned 20 seasons and recently, the Pokémon Go app saw the little monsters go viral in ever corner of the world, with players falling over each other to capture Pokémon in the hugely popular live simulated game.
The live action movie has been in development for sometime and is one of the most awaited franchises awaiting a big screen debut in popular consciousness.
