Detective Pikachu's screenwriters were giant nerds, too [Ep #87]

It took nearly 30 years for any Hollywood studio to successfully adapt a video game for the big screen, and the secret to not screwing it up was surprisingly simple: Ask actual fans to make it.

That's not to say that fanfiction should be turned into big-budget screenplays (though we wouldn't object), but it's become clear that hiring filmmakers with both an affinity and deep knowledge about the source material helps ensure that the magic of the original helps ensure that the translation is seamless and fan-friendly. Warner Bros. and Legendary found the perfect pair of screenwriters in Benji Samit and Dan Hernandez to write the script for Pokémon Detective Pikachu.

As they tell The Fandom Files, they are lifelong geeks who played the original Pokémon game, even if they were a bit older than the core audience. Their devotion obviously paid off, and as we discuss the movie and video games, it's clear that the flick, which came out in early May, was a labor of love.