The Rock, Jackman, and Wahlberg All Failed to Take This $88B Franchise Role from Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds never lets go of what is his, and when he set his eyes on a role in the richest franchise in the world, even three other A-listers couldn’t hold him back.
Ryan Reynolds is one of the finest businessmen in Hollywood: apart from acting, he’s been indulging himself in various ventures for many years, and he knows big money when he smells it.
With all his experience, it only makes sense that when the highest-grossing franchise in history had a job opening, he wanted to be onboard.
This may come as a shocker, especially after the names we mentioned, but we’re not even talking about Marvel: while rich, it’s not even in the top-5.
No, the highest-grossing media franchise of all time is Pokémon: since it was established back in 1996, the franchise went on to earn over $120B! No one comes even close.
And when after many years of anticipation, the plans for the ultimate live-action Pokémon adaptation were announced, they immediately attracted the attention of Hollywood’s biggest stars — with Ryan Reynolds, of course, being one of them.
But the man had tough competition as many A-listers wanted a piece of the golden cake.
Reynolds’s biggest competitors included Hugh Jackman, Mark Wahlberg, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. While famous and well-respected, not all of them had equal chances: Wahlberg had no experience in voice acting; Jackman and Johnson already had one case each going for them; but Reynolds had twice as much — two.
“You know… I lived it; I breathed it; I became the character; I spent the entire year as Detective Pikachu. <...> I was on my way to pick up my daughters from school when I heard that I got the role. Well, I didn’t show up at school because Detective Pikachu, he doesn’t know who those two little girls are,” joked Reynolds.
The actor was clearly delighted at the chance to bring the character he’d grown to love so much to life, and it was his enthusiasm and eagerness that likely allowed him to defeat the competitors and bag the role. Honestly, lucky us: imagine how uncanny Detective Pikachu would’ve been were he to speak with The Rock’s voice!