Ryan Reynolds Is Voicing Detective Pikachu in a Live-Action Pokémon Movie

Apologies to all the Danny DeVito fans out there—Ryan Reynolds will play Pikachu in the upcoming live-action Pokémon movie, Detective Pikachu, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Reynolds will lend his voice to the titular character as well as doing motion capture for the CG Pokémon, meaning that the new Pikachu won't just sound like Deadpool, he might kind of look like him, too.

Reynolds has plenty of experience with voice acting, having starred in The Croods and made appearances on Family Guy in the past. But it'll be interesting to see how his weird, hyper-referential comedy will translate to the plump electric rodent.

It's unclear whether Reynolds's Pikachu is the same one that once trailed Ash around Viridian City or just another member of the same Pokémon species. If it's the Pikachu we know and love, then he has apparently retired from the fighting circuit to work as a gumshoe, complete with a Sherlock Holmes hat, a magnifying glass, and a newly acquired grasp of the English language.

Reynolds will star alongside Justice Smith (The Get Down) and Lady Bird's Kathryn Newton in the film, which is directed by Rob Letterman and set to go into production early next year.

There isn't much concrete information on the film's plot right now, but it looks like the story will center around Detective Pikachu's quest to find Smith's character's kidnapped father. Newton will play a "sassy journalist who helps them on their quest," according to the Reporter.

The whole concept of a crime-solving Pokémon begs a lot of questions: If Pikachu is actually a detective, does he work cases alongside human cops, or is he part of some separate, Pokémon-only police force? And if it's the latter, does that mean we'll get to meet Police Commissioner Meowth? A Snorlax working impound? Maybe some crooked Lieutenant Grimer who's on the take from Team Rocket? The mind reels at the possibilities.

We'll have to wait for Detective Pikachu to hit theaters to see how—or if—the mechanics of the world make any sense at all. If you need your Ryan Reynolds fix before then, Deadpool 2 is set to drop June 1.