Jonathan Krisel To Direct ‘Pokémon Detective Pikachu’ Sequel At Legendary

EXCLUSIVE: Portlandia co-creator Jonathan Krisel is in negotiations to direct the Pokémon Detective Pikachu live-action sequel based on the globally popular Pokémon franchise for Legendary Entertainment. Chris Galletta will write the script for the follow-up to Legendary’s 2019 box office hit.

The original pic was directed by Rob Letterman and starred Ryan Reynolds, Ken Watanabe, Justice Smith and Kathryn Newton. It was released by Warner Bros on May 10, 2019, and grossed more than $430 million at the worldwide box office. While no deals are done at this time and nothing is confirmed, insiders believe Reynolds will have some part to play in the upcoming sequel.

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Pokémon has delighted fans of all ages for more than 25 years. With more than 440 million video games sold worldwide, tens of billions of Pokémon TCG cards shipped, and an animated series licensed to broadcast in 177 countries spanning 25 seasons, it is one of the world’s most successful entertainment properties.

Krisel’s credits include co-creating, writing and executive producing Portlandia, as well as co-creating, directing and writing Baskets starring Zach Galifianakis for FX. He is represented by UTA, Mosaic and Yorn, Levine, Barnes, Krintzman, Rubenstein, Kohner, Endlich & Gellman.

Galletta’s credits include writing The Kings of Summer. He is represented by UTA and Anonymous Content.

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