Los Angeles, Dec 1 (IANS): Filmmaker Rob Letterman will direct the upcoming "Pokemon" movie, titled "Detective Pikachu".

Nicole Perlman and Alex Hirsch have penned the script for the live-action film, which will be backed by production banner Legendary, reports variety.com.

The news comes following the announcement that the company got the rights to the "Pokemon" franchise in early July. That deal came two weeks after the Pokemon Go app was released and became a worldwide phenomenon, so much so that it led to a 25 per cent jump in the stock of part-owner Nintendo.

Pokemon was introduced in Japan in 1996 and has sold 279 million video games worldwide with 21.5 billion cards shipped to 74 countries, and an animated series spanning 19 seasons.

Universal Pictures will handle distribution of the live-action film outside of Japan as it has done with Legendary's other films for years.

The Pokemon Company's long-time movie collaborator, Toho, will handle distribution of the film franchise in Japan, as it has similarly done in its partnership with Legendary on the reboot for the "Godzilla" franchise.