Who would have expected that a Canadian heartthrob will play as a cute Japanese-origin cartoon character? Hollywood Reporter has recently announced that "Deadpool" star Ryan Reynolds will be playing as Pikachu via motion capture in a Pokémon live-action movie called "Detective Pikachu", an exciting new modern project of the gaming franchise.

Great Detective Pikachu on Nintendo 3DS. Image courtesy of Collider.

Reynolds, along with Justice Smith and Kathryn Newton from "Big Little Lies" is involved in a mystery plot in which the Smith's teenage character teams up with Pikachu to find his father who has been kidnapped. The animated film will be directed by Rob Letterman who is known for directing "Monsters vs. Aliens" and "Shark Tale".