According to The Hollywood Reporter, “a top-secret auction” is being held for the rights to a Pokemon film and is “nearing completion.” Legendary Entertainment is pushing to secure the franchise, edging out other interested companies such as Warner Bros. and Sony. The Pokemon Company is certainly no stranger when it comes to Pokemon movies, but bringing the first live-action Pokemon movie to life would be another huge milestone for them.
This is where things get a little complicated. We all know The Pokemon Company and all things Pokemon are based in Japan, while Legendary Entertainment is owned by the Chinese real estate and investment conglomerate, Wanda. There have been long simmering political tensions between Beijing and Tokyo in the past, which recently peaked when Japan criticized China’s territorial ambitions in the South China Sea. These issues have also lead to a cultural strain between the two countries, with China banning Japanese movies in Chinese theaters for three years. This ban has since been lifted – thankfully. Should Legendary Entertainment win this auction, our fingers crossed political differences don’t hurt what could be a truly revolutionary entry in the video game movie genre.
