I know this probably goes without saying, but POKÉMON is kind of a big deal. Sure, the video game-turned-every-other-medium isn’t as popular in the mainstream as it was in its heyday in the 1990s, but it’s a franchise still beloved by children and gamers of all ages alike.

Now it looks like a few studios are in a secret bidding war over the film rights to the video game series. According to THR, Legendary currently seems to be the frontrunner, nudging aside WB, who has reportedly also been aggressively pursuing the rights. Sony is also reportedly interested.

Also according to THR, the prospect of Legendary Entertainment winning the bid could cause some trouble, given that Legendary is owned by a Chinese company and the Pokémon Co. is a Japanese one.

The outlet states:

“There have been long simmering political tensions between Beijing and Tokyo, which most recently peaked with Japan’s criticism of China’s territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. Those pressures have also led to a cultural strain between the two countries in which China effectively banned Japanese films for three years, which was only recently broken.”

That being said, this hasn’t stopped Legendary from partnering with WB and Japanese company Toho to bring GODZILLA to the big screen, so perhaps the conflict there is overblown. 

Either way, the real news here seems to be the renewed interest to bring a live-action POKÉMON film to the big screen. It’s a franchise that has been long overdue for one, and given how much technology has improved in film over the past 15-20 years, it’s the perfect time for this to be realized in live-action form. 

What are your thoughts on seeing a live-action POKÉMON? Let us know down below!

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SOURCE: THR