Detective Pikachu gets release date following Ryan Reynolds casting

The Deadpool actor will play the titular role

Ryan Reynolds will voice Detective Pikachu (Getty)

For many Pokémon fans, Ryan Reynolds playing the titular character in Detective Pikachu seems fairly baffling. How will the Deadpool actor pull-off playing the beloved cartoon character?

Following the surprising casting news, Universal has confirmed a release date for the movie: 10 May, 2019.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Pikachu role will be ‘motion-capture in nature’ and that Reynolds’ particular Pikachu is a ‘self-styled investigator who is good at finding things’.

Goosebumps director Rob Letterman will helm the project — which starts shooting mid-January in London — while Justice Smith and Kathryn Newton will also star.

The story starts when Smith’s character’s father is kidnapped (presumably by Team Rocket), leading to the teenager employing the help of Pikachu. Newton — who recently had roles in Big Little Lies, Lady Bird, and Three Billboards — plays a journalist who helps the duo on their quest.

Detective Pikachu has been scripted by Alex Hirsch and Nicole Perlman with Universal distributing. Meanwhile, Reynolds will next appear in Deadpool 2, which reaches cinemas 1 June.