Can a Live Action Pokemon/Digimon ever be done?

[smallville fan]

Stop me if this topic was talked about before but with the 90's nostalgia I'm getting lately in my life, it's got me wondering if someone will ever attempt to make these happen and I wanted to get any thoughts about it.

I know anime adaptations done by American studios have failed horribly(DragonBall Evolution has left pretty big scars) but people are attempting video game movies again with Assassin's Creed and World of Warcraft. So maybe it could happen? Especially since Pokemon is a lucrative video game franchise and all, there is a chance Nintendo could partner with a Studio like for example Lionsgate and Saban's partnership with the new Power Rangers movies? Or could they create their own movie studio?

If they were given Avatar sized budgets(200+ million) could it work? Also how should they cast them? Do all the roles have to be given to Asian American actors?

Or maybe we should just wait another 10 years?

I mean there is an audience for big monster movies like this right?

 

[Airwings]

Yes, both can happen. Hollywood has reached the level of cgi development to make them. The question is rather if they will be adapted or not

 

[smallville fan]

Yes, both can happen. Hollywood has reached the level of cgi development to make them. The question is rather if they will be adapted or not

Oh I believe they'll do it because there's an audience for this kind of nostalgia and Pokemon especially has audiences across a number of generations not just with the show but with the video game and the card game too. The big factor here is budget. Another major factor that audiences have to accept is that not every Pokemon/Digimon will be showcased. That might set some fans off.

 

[Loden Greatstorm]

Either of these would be cool.

 

[Galactus123]

They both can happen but I don't think they would make the Pokemons and Digimons realistic looking. They would look like cartoony CGI. I don't expect seeing anything like this:

http://orig15.deviantart.net/bbff/f/2011/182/e/6/it__s_pikachu_by_hextupleyoodot-d2vdyqj.png

 

[Monochron]

I'd be interested in a live action pokemon if it were made to be ridiculously realistic like this:

http://arvalis.deviantart.com/art/Feraligatr-406520189

 

[DeGenerate10]

I'd like to see both of these happen, but I don't think they'll ever do it.

 

[smallville fan]

I'd like to see both of these happen, but I don't think they'll ever do it.

Like I said, I think they'll do it because there's good money to be made off live action movies and since Pokemon is a property that's a guaranteed profit, why wouldn't they try? If Nintendo sees an opportunity to make it happen, they'd do it IMO. Out of the two, Digimon is probably easier at this point in time.

I'd be interested in a live action pokemon if it were made to be ridiculously realistic like this:

http://arvalis.deviantart.com/art/Feraligatr-406520189

That art's pretty cool.

 

[Loden Greatstorm]

I'd be interested in a live action pokemon if it were made to be ridiculously realistic like this:

http://arvalis.deviantart.com/art/Feraligatr-406520189

Very cool. If done right, both have huge potential.

 

[smallville fan]

If they made it like this trailer with the look and feel it's going for, it'd be cool.
[YT]unKWAs1aRvo[/YT]

 

[Quasimod0]

Both of them CAN happen, but I doubt Digimon will be made. Pokemon could be really fun though.

 

[Thundarr]

CAN they both happen? Absolutely. WILL they happen? Possibly (given Hollywood's lack of creativity lately, I might even go so far as to say probably). SHOULD they happen? No, I don't think so. I might be a little biased because I don't really care much for either show (especially Pokemon, which I happen to think is an incredibly disturbing concept for a children's program). Regardless, Hollywood is almost 100% guaranteed to screw it up royally. Just look at their previous attempts at adapting anime to live action. Dragonball Z, Avatar: The Last Airbender (which is technically American, but was done with a deliberate anime type style), Speed Racer, all monumental failures. Not only with fans of the original shows, but also with the general audience who were unfamiliar with the source material.

I say just let them be. If kids want to watch a cartoon about a society that encourages children to leave home at the age of ten, capture animals, and then train them to fight each other to the death for the entertainment of others and their masters' glory/profits? Just let them watch the original series, or any of the dozen or so animated movies out there.

(Seriously though, swap Pikachu and Charmander with a pitbull and a rottweiler and see how kid friendly the show is).

 

[smallville fan]

Just look at their previous attempts at adapting anime to live action. Dragonball Z, Avatar: The Last Airbender (which is technically American, but was done with a deliberate anime type style), Speed Racer, all monumental failures. Not only with fans of the original shows, but also with the general audience who were unfamiliar with the source material.

I noted that in the first post. But since they're giving video game movies another go like Assassin's Creed and World of Warcraft, it stands to reason that Pokemon, one of the most successful video game franchises out there that has branched out so much would give that a go despite poor anime adaptations done in the past because it's that much of a juggernaut.

 

[2kt09]

I noted that in the first post. But since they're giving video game movies another go...despite poor anime adaptations done in the past because it's that much of a juggernaut.

As much as I would like to see a randomly generated guy/girl adventure on his/her own,
that live-action Pokemon movie would very much so cash in on adapting the anime regardless of where it's produced.
Since the narrative is basic enough, it comes down to which of the two mediums established recognizable and marketable characters.

 

[Teelie]

Thundarr pretty much said what I would say. Will they? Almost definitely. Will they do it right? Probably not and certainly not to the satisfaction of the fanbase. Hollywood has a propensity to screw up anime whenever they try to live-action adapt it. Especially when it comes to children/teenage level content.

I've never watched or played either Pokemon or Digimon so I wouldn't be their target audience in any case but I can understand the mindset of those fans with Ghost in the Shell being adapted. I want it to be good but Hollywood always has a way of letting you down.

 

[Airwings]

I have waited for a live action Pokemon for years. It strange that it never happened because other popular properties got it while it was still hot (Turtles, MOTU).
But I think it's too late. Do people even care about Pokemon anymore?

I think Brandon Soo Hoo would have been a good Ash back in 2008/2009.

 

[smallville fan]

I have waited for a live action Pokemon for years. It strange that it never happened because other popular properties got it while it was still hot (Turtles, MOTU).
But I think it's too late. Do people even care about Pokemon anymore?

I think Brandon Soo Hoo would have been a good Ash back in 2008/2009.

Pokemon is very much a strong franchise in this day and age for sure. I mean we are now entering the 20th anniversary of the franchise lol! They're still making new games and the anime is still going, not to mention the new Pokemon Go app has a fair bit of hype around it as well as a Superbowl commercial:
[YT]2F46tGehnfo[/YT]

 

[smallville fan]

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/pokemon-movie-rights-bidding-war-884207

Pokemon Movie Rights Bidding War as China's Legendary Makes Big Play for Japanese Property

Warner Bros. and Sony also are vying for the popular children's game property.

Can Chinese and Japanese companies come together over a hot children's property?

A top-secret auction for film rights to the Pokemon franchise is nearing completion with Thomas Tull’s Legendary Entertainment attempting to nudge aside Warner Bros., which has pursued the property aggressively, according to sources. Sony also is said to be very interested.
A spokesperson for Legendary, which since January is a division of China's Dalian Wanda Group, declined to comment. But the notion of a Chinese-owned company acquiring a beloved Japanese property could raise a stir given historic tensions between the two countries.

The Pokemon Co., the Japanese outfit that manages the rights to the franchise spun from the hit Nintendo game, has been courting Hollywood to launch a big-budget live-action movie. Warner Bros. was among the early favorites to take the task on considering it already released the animated Pokemon: The First Movie in 1999 (it grossed $165 million worldwide) and two low-budget sequels.

However, Legendary has now emerged as a potential victor to bring Pikachu and other Pokemon characters to theaters, according to a source. And that could pose a potential problem considering Legendary's ownership by the Chinese real estate and investment conglomerate Wanda. 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 broken recently.
Legendary, for its part, already has made inroads into Japan’s film industry. Tull’s company, in partnership with Warner Bros., brought Godzilla to the big screen in 2014 in partnership with Japan’s Toho Co. (which owns the rights to the iconic monster and, coincidentally, made the animated Pokemon films). Legendary and Warner Bros. plan to release other movies in the franchise, including Kong: Skull Island next year, Godzilla 2 in 2018 and later Godzilla Vs. Kong.

Warner Bros. and Sony declined to comment.

 

[TheWebbedDevil]

Anybody hoping Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures actually allow a Live Action Pokémon movie to be because sign me up if it happens!