After so many horrible live-action adaptations of the cartoons and animes we’ve all grown up with, chances are you cringe at the thought of a live-action Pokemon movie. I do think, however, that this movie could be the one that’s different. Why you may ask? Because it’s Pokemon. If it turns out cheesy and childish, no one would mind, because this series has always been aimed towards an age group of little kids. It just so happens that the older people that grew up with these games and TV series still love it just as much, and that’s the perfect reason to make it into a live-action movie (In the Kanto region of course, because the original is still hands down the best). Who should take the helm in this film though? I have a few ideas.
Ash Ketchum: Dylan O’Brien
Yes, I’m aware that Dylan O’Brien isn’t a 10 year old boy like Ash Ketchum, but I don’t think that casting an older actor would ruin the movie. O’Brien has the boyish charm and the right amount of intensity as an actor to pull off the role, and could handle the intense sequences of action that a Pokemon battle brings just as well as the silly and comedic moments that we’ve seen in the anime for all of these years.
Misty: Molly C. Quinn
Molly C. Quinn has the young and radiant look to pull off everyone’s first childhood crush, and she could blow the role out of the water with her acting. She plays such a charismatic and 3-dimensional character on Castle, and if she brought any of the way she acts in that role with her then we would be in for the best Misty we could ever see.
Brock: Steven Yeun
Brock is known as the compassionate Pokemon breeder that can’t catch a break when it comes to the ladies, and I think Yeun is perfect for a more comedic role like this. He’s charming and funny enough naturally to pull off a wannabe ladies man, and he could appeal to other characteristics of Brock as well. Everyone thinks of Brock as just another companion that’s not as good of a trainer as Ash, but when you think about it realistically, he’s the muscle. Traveling with a young girl and a little boy is this big dude with nothing but rock Pokemon and a giant bag of stuff that has just about anything you’d ever need in it. Brock is the protector of this group, and Yeun is wonderful at pulling that off as well.
Jessie and James: Brie Larson and Brandon Routh
I think that Brandon Routh and Brie Larson are perfect for Jessie and James (respectively) because of their chemistry and all around goofy characters in Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. They were a villain power couple, and even though Jessie and James aren’t actually together, they could bring the dynamics or their characters from the aforementioned movie and make them have a sort of old married couple feel. Routh and Larson have the right kind of chemistry to bring these two characters on screen, and could be fitting, goofy villains for the movie.
Meowth: Josh Gad
Meowth is an all around goofy and funny character, and Josh Gad providing the voice (and possibly facial motion capture) would just enable that to be brought on screen purrrr-fectly. Gad is one of the most popular voice actors in the world right now, and one of the funniest people of our generation. It would be great to have your kids be able to recognize the friendly voice that is Olaf in a Pokemon movie, and if Josh Gad is funny enough to be on par with the likes of Billy Crystal (on The Comedians), then he’s funny enough for anything.
Giovanni: Michael Shannon
Michael Shannon can play a menacing villain like no other, as shown by his portrayal of General Zod, but in addition to this he’s also hilarious. Have you ever caught this guy on an episode of @Midnight? He’s such a funny person, and could blow a comedic role out of the water. His natural hilarity and menacing villain nature combined together is perfect for the big bad that Giovanni is.
Gary: Dane DeHaan
Gary is the classic childhood jerk, and Dane DeHaan is the classic villain in any situation. The dude looks like a villain, and who better for him to take on next then Ash’s jerk rival we all grew up hating? He has the look for the character, and we’ve already seen how well he can play villains from most of his past career.
Professor Oak: Mark Ruffalo
I had to think outside the box a little for this option, but I think that Mark Ruffalo would be the best possible choice for Professor Oak. He’s an older man at 48 years old, however not too old for the role, and he’s used to playing smart and charismatic characters. Look at how good he is as Bruce Banner, and you can see that he has potential as any kind of scientist character. He could very well pull off being Ash’s mentor, and could be the perfect star vehicle for this movie.