Actor Ryan Reynolds has shared a behind-the-scenes sneak peek of his upcoming movie Detective Pikachu on Instagram. The first live-action Pokemon film from the incredibly popular video game franchise will see Reynolds offering his iconic voice and his facial motion capture to bring the digital rendering of the fan-favorite character Pikachu on the big screen.
Reynolds posted an image of himself with the dots on his face used to tap an actor’s facial expressions and physical performance for an animated character. The picture shows half of Pikachu’s face alongside Reynolds’s face covered in motion capture markers. You can check out Detective Pikachu behind-the-scenes picture below.
The motion capture technology has evolved during the years and has been used in a number of films in recent years to capture animated characters’ facial expressions and physical movements. The same technology is being used to bring to life Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Hulk and Mad Titan Thanos.
Well, in case of Detective Pikachu, Reynolds won’t need to wear a full body motion capture suit as the film is only using his facial expressions. The Deadpool actor had previously voiced two animated characters in the past including Guy in The Croods and snail in the film Turbo. He will also be providing his voice for Guy in the sequel film, The Croods 2.
Detective Pikachu follows the story of 21-year old Tim Goodman, performed by Justice Smith, who heads on a quest to search for his missing dad Harry Goodman with the help of his father’s former partner Pikachu, whom only Tim can understand.
Director Rob Letterman has co-written Detective Pikachu with Nicole Perlman. The film also stars Paul Kitson, Kathryn Newton, Ken Watanabe, Karan Soni, Bill Nighy, Suki Waterhouse, Chris Geere, Rita Ora, and Omar Chaparro. The film’s official synopsis reads as below-
The story begins when ace detective Harry Goodman goes mysteriously missing, prompting his 21-year-old son Tim to find out what happened. Aiding in the investigation is Harry’s former Pokémon partner, Detective Pikachu: a hilariously wise-cracking, adorable super-sleuth who is a puzzlement even to himself. Finding that they are uniquely equipped to communicate with one another, Tim and Pikachu join forces on a thrilling adventure to unravel the tangled mystery. Chasing clues together through the neon-lit streets of Ryme City—a sprawling, modern metropolis where humans and Pokémon live side by side in a hyper-realistic live-action world—they encounter a diverse cast of Pokémon characters and uncover a shocking plot that could destroy this peaceful co-existence and threaten the whole Pokémon universe.
Detective Pikachu is scheduled to release on May 10, 2019.
