I don't quite understand this whole Pokemon Go thing, but I know that Nintendo has raked in millions of dollars on it in just a few days, and there are people walking around my neighborhood like zombies looking for Pikachu. And apparently one of my friends has left a giant monster to guard the gym I work out at, or something. So this thing is a phenomenon, for the time being anyway, and Hollywood is looking to cash in right now.
Deadline reports that a live-action Pokemon movie is now back on the Hollywood radar due to Pokemon Go's success. Plans to bring the monster-catching game to the big screen have been going on for a while but attaining the rights has always been an issue. The story says that Legendary Pictures is nearing a deal to secure the film rights, with Max Landis, writer of Chronicle and a bunch of really terrible shit since then, possibly working on the screenplay.
Nintendo had been out of the movie game for years ever since Super Mario Bros. bombed back in 1993, but lately they've been trying to make waves in Hollywood again. A Pokemon movie, as irritating as it may be, would definitely be a way to do that. Of course, if this whole Pokemon Go thing continues to be used as a criminal's best friend, or if people start walking into traffic trying to catch monsters, then it may force Nintendo to reconsider.
