It seems that Legendary wants to be the very best, like no on ever was!
Entertainment news source Deadline reports that Hollywood is renewing the chase to produce a live-action Pokémon film. Legendary Pictures is “moving toward a deal” for the property, though specifics are still unknown. As of press time, an agreement hasn’t been finalized.
According to Deadline, the deal will be in the realm of $5 million for the rights, as well as 5% of first-dollar gross.
In April, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that Legendary, Sony, and Warner Bros were engaged in an auction for the rights. Warner previously released several of the Pokémon anime films, including Pokémon: The First Movie, Pokémon 2000, and Pokémon 3 – The Movie.
Legendary Pictures is a subsidiary of Chinese company Wanda Group. Earlier this year, the company released the Warcraft movie, which was co-produced with Blizzard and Atlas Entertainment. The feature saw strong ticket sales across the globe, grossing $450 million to become the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time.
The Pokémon Company and Niantic Entertainment launched smartphone game Pokémon GO in the United States, New Zealand, and Australia last week. The title quickly shot to the top of the revenue charts, reaching the #1 spot in under five hours on the iOS App Store, and within four days on the Google Play Store. The title currently enjoys the honor of fastest-selling mobile app ever on both storefronts.
Previously, the honor was held by Supercell’s Clash Royale, which needed two days to top the iOS market and a week to dominate Google Play.
Pokémon GO‘s strong performance saw Nintendo’s stock price rise by over 33% since Friday, with the big N enjoying its biggest one-day boost since 1983. As of press time, Nintendo’s stock stands at 23,765 yen ($227.97 USD) per share.
Source: Deadline (Thanks to Daniel Zelter for the tip!)
