Jonathan Krisel is currently in the middle of talks to direct the sequel to Pokémon Detective Pikachu, Deadline has reported. The script will be penned by Chris Galletta (The Kings of Summer).
The 2019 film was directed by Rob Letterman (Goosebumps) and written by Letterman, Beji Samit (Koala Man), and Dan Hernandez (Koala Man). It had a stacked cast with Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Bill Nighy, and Ken Watanabe. None of the cast is confirmed to return, even Reynolds, who played the titled character.
If all goes through, Detective Pikachu will be the biggest project for Jonathan Krisel. He is known largely for his work on TV with shows like Portlandia, Baskets, Moonbase 8, and Kroll Show. Portlandia, a sketch comedy show about Portland, Oregon, was nominated for 22 Emmys and won four during its run from 2011 to 2018.
Jonathan Krisel set to direct Pokémon Detective Pikachu sequel
Pokémon is one of the biggest IPs in the world across cards, video games, and more, making for a heavy task for Jonathan Krisel when work begins on Detective Pikachu. The video games have sold over 440 million copies worldwide, and the cards have sold more than 43 billion cards. The latest of the games, Scarlet and Violet, sold 10 million copies in three days, despite criticism for its significant technical issues.
The cast of the original film has been quite busy. Reynolds continues to be one of the busiest people on the planet across his career in Hollywood to other ventures with gin and owning a Welsh football team. Newton recently joined the MCU with Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, opening the door for plenty more appearances in the future. Smith will star in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Nighy is currently nominated for an Oscar for his performance in Living and a slew of upcoming projects. Watanabe will star in Gareth Edwards’ (Rogue One) True Love later this year.