Detective Pikachu: Justice Smith thinks a sequel isn’t happening

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

Despite the fact that Detective Pikachu was fairly successful at the box office when it was released in 2019, there hasn't been much news about a sequel being in the works. Video game adaptations can really miss the mark at times but Detective Pikachu fell on the side of being well-received so it's a bit surprising that, beyond announcing a sequel before the film was released, there has been a bit of radio silence about a follow-up. The film's star, Justice Smith, recently sat down for an interview with "Inverse" and when he was asked about the sequel, he seemed pretty pessimistic about the chances of it happening. 

"I would love to participate in Detective Pikachu 2. I don't know if it's going to happen. I think we have to just kind of bury our hopes. I don't think it's going to happen. I really hope so though. Honestly, I'm such a huge fan, who knows, who knows? I hope so."

Now, one could decipher his quote as he doesn't think he'll be in the sequel. This could very well be the case and they may still be moving forward with it. What makes it seem like he doesn't think a sequel is happening at all is when he says "I think we have to just kind of bury our hopes." If he was referring to just himself, I don't think he would've said WE. It seems by saying the collective we, he's indicating that himself along with the fans shouldn't look forward to a sequel happening. They may also not want to include Smith because they went to bring in more familiar characters from the property into the live-action world like Ash Ketchum and his friends, Misty and Brock. It's also possible that I'm being a detective myself and just trying to get to the bottom of things. All of these possibilities are in play.

It would be strange if Justice Smith wasn't involved. The central story of the first film revolved around his character's search for his father. If he wasn't present in the sequel, it just wouldn't seem right. Since there has been no official word on the matter, I'm inclined to believe Smith that he simply hasn't heard about them moving forward with a sequel, and the more time that goes by, he doesn't seem too confident that it will happen.

Detective Pikachu was the first live-action Pokemon film, as well as the first live-action film based on Nintendo game property since Super Mario Bros. in 1993. Ryan Reynolds stars as the voice and facial motion capture of Pikachu, with Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Suki Waterhouse, Omar Chaparro, Chris Geere, Ken Watanabe, and Bill Nighy being featured in live-action roles. In the film, a former Pokemon trainer named Tim Goodman and the titular Pokemon attempt to uncover the mysterious disappearance of Tim's father, Harry. Even though the film only grossed $144.1 million domestically on a $150 million budget, its global take came in at $433 million which more than warrants getting a sequel made. The movie even earned a fresh rating of 67% on Rotten Tomatoes which is VERY rare for video game adaptations.

Do YOU want to see a sequel to Detective Pikachu?