Pokemon: Detective Pikachu live action movie confirmed franchise /‘fr?n(t)?a?z/ n. 系列，特許經(jīng)營權(quán) merchandise /'m??t?(?)nda?s/ n. 商品，貨物 A live action Pokemon movie is to begin production in 2017, Legendary Entertainment has confirmed. The film will focus on Detective Pikachu - a new character in the universe, introduced through a video game in Japan earlier this year. The news comes following the huge international success of the Pokemon Go game in recent weeks. Pokemon was first released as a video game in 1996 and led to an animated TV series and film franchise, plus merchandise including trading cards - which became a craze in UK schools in the early 2000s.