The Pokemon franchise has proven entertaining for people of all ages and across multiple mediums. With more than twenty film entries to their credit, Pokemon has only recently entered the live-action space withDetective Pikachu (2020.)But, there are many more stories to tell in the Pokemon universe. So why not start where it all began. Pokemon Red & Blue came to the Game Boy in 1996, and told the story of a young trainer setting out on an adventure.
Red would prove himself by taking down Team Rocket, a criminal organization, challenging the Elite Four, defeating his rival, Blue, to become the Pokemon League Champion, and battling against the tragic experiment gone wrong in Mewtwo. Making friends with humans and pokemon alike, the next big summer blockbuster is in the world of Pokemon. And here, we will look at the perfect casting selections for our key characters.
6Red - Finn Wolfhard
Red is the main protagonist, usually allowing his actions to speak louder than his words in the video games. We may want to look at how Red is depicted in the manga for the film adaptation. Coming on headstrong and overconfident at times, Red is willing to learn from his losses, even starting his journey after accepting that he needs help from Professor Oak. While he begins as a loner, relying only on his pokemon, Red would eventually grow to allow help from his friends and help young trainers like Yellow.
An excellent choice for this role would beFinn Wolfhard. Finn has proven to be an actor worthy of portraying headstrong young heroes; Finn is known for roles such as Mike inStanger Thingsand Richie inIt(2017).With experience working alongside CGI creatures and facing off against adults, Finn can bring the cockiness of Red to the big screen and show the maturity he has gained with age.
Related:Finn Wolfhard’s Best Performances, Ranked
5Blue - Asher Angel
Blue can come across as cool and aloof. Though when it comes to his rivalry with Red, he can also be swift to temper. Blue isn’t afraid to go all out, training his pokemon and always keeping one step ahead of Red. Whether that means training a Pokemon with a type advantage over Red’s or even beating Red in the race to attain champion status in the Kanto Pokemon League by mere minutes, Blue is a constant thorn in Red’s side.
Asher Angelis known for playing a character that can be both antagonistic and supportive, asBilly Batson inShazam(2019).While he wouldn’t have the power of multiple gods, he would have a full roster of pokemon to use. Asher Angel would work well with any pocket monsters, whether a Charizard to match his fury or a Blastoise to match his never wavering endurance. Especially with the bonus of his experience working around CGI effects such as lightning.
4Professor Oak - Sir Ian McKellen
Professor Oak may come across as a bit of a goof at times, but he is one of the foremost respected minds regarding Pokemon. Residing in Pallet Town, Professor Oak commits his life to studying pokemon and researching the different patterns each creature has in their evolutionary line.
To have a convincing live-action Oak, we need an actor capable of exuding an air of confidence and wisdom and a strong personality that can help inspire young minds to adventure.Sir Ian McKellenis the perfect choice for this role, and one needs to look no further thanhis work as Magnetoin theX-Menfranchise for evidence. Sir Ian McKellen always provides an air of confidence so strong that he could command anyone’s attention when he’s onscreen. While Oak is strictly a supporting character, it would be interesting to hear the inspirational speech that Ian could do as Oak speaks to Red. Or even see how Ian and Asher would interact as the grandfather-grandson duo of Professor Oak & Blue.
Related:Pokemon: Every Professor in the Animated Franchise, Ranked
3Giovanni - Ethan Hawke
Giovanni is the despicable crime boss of Team Rocket. Giovanni seemingly does it all by overseeing an organization intent on stealing pokemon, hunting down legendaries, and creating a powerful being for his own manipulation. Even running one of eight league-recognized pokemon gyms where he can test the battle prowess of young trainers. Giovanni is considered the primary villain, albeit his own creation would eventually overshadow him.
A cult of personality like Giovanni has to be played bya well-rounded performerwith experience portraying charismatic leaders. This can easily be found inEthan Hawke. Driving movie-goers into terror with his portrayal as The Grabber inThe Black Phone (2022)and as Arthur Harrow in the Disney Plus miniseriesMoon Knight, Ethan Hawke has proven himself as just such an actor. Add in his work controlling CGI monsters, and one can easily imagine Giovanni commanding a Nidoking and Rhydon to destroy his opponents with cold precision.
2Bill - Ashton Kutcher
Bill is a scientist responsible for bringing well-used technology to the Pokemon world. The most prominent of these inventions is the Pokemon Storage System. Seeing as trainers can only have six pokemon on them at one time, they need a proper way to store their pokemon. Bill manages to make a storage system and a transfer system to help ease the process of storing one’s pokemon. Bill may be a genius, but he can also come across as rather clumsy and goofy, once messing up a test of his transfer system so bad he swapped consciousness with another pokemon.
A good choice for this role would beAshton Kutcher. While Ashton is primarily known for his role as Michael Kelso inThat 70’s Show, he has also proven he can play the part of an eccentric genius. Having played Steve Jobs in the filmJobs (2013), Ashton has the experience of performing as a technological innovator in a fantastical world while remaining lighthearted and providing levity in an otherwise action-packed series.
1Mewtwo - Vin Diesel
Mewtwo is a creature of tragic origins. Instead of being a pokemon that is born naturally, Mewtwo is a genetic experiment derived from the DNA material of Mew. Team Rocket scientists worked tirelessly to create a pokemon that would surpass Mew. One that would be more powerful than any other force known to the world, and one that could be controlled by their boss Giovanni. The Latter goal would be a failure as Mewtwo would escape its captors, destroying all the machines used to torture him into submission. He would begin to plot his vengeance against all of humanity for his enslavement and the perceived enslavement of all pokemon.
Mewtwo would be brought to live-action with the use of CGI and voice work, and one of the best voice actors in the history of the summer blockbuster is Vin Diesel. Known for his work inThe Iron Giant (1999)andhis role as GrootinThe Guardians of the Galaxyfranchise,Vin Dieselis more than capable of providing a dark and brooding tone to the vengeful Mewtwo. While he would undoubtedly be expected to offer more than a few words at a time, his speeches decrying humanity would command attention with his booming voice, and his shouts of rage would prove poignant during the epic final battle.
