Pokemon goes Scottish: Live-action film shoots in stunning tourist hot-spots
● Devil’s Pulpit among locations ● Drones used
A series of Scotland’s most idyllic beauty spots will feature in the first live-action Pokemon film in a major boon for the country’s tourism sector.
The big-budget production, based on the hugely popular gaming franchise, stars Hollywood heart-throb Ryan Reynolds, as well as veteran actor Bill Nighy and singer Rita Ora.
Filming has taken place in and around the Devil’s Pulpit at Finnich Glen in Stirlingshire.
The River Affric at Cannich and Glen Nevis were also used last week to shoot scenes for the forthcoming film Pokemon: Detective Pikachu.
A helicopter and a drone were used to capture some of the spectacular scenery from the Highlands locations.
Scottish workers on set were sworn to secrecy about the project, with a spokesman for Stirling Council saying details were “confidential”.
“Everyone working on this locally has been told to keep very quiet,” a source close to the production said.
“Everything is being kept tightly under wraps, but it is the Pokemon movie that is being filmed here.
“When the movie is released it is sure to show Scotland’s natural charms in a great light to millions of people.”
Legendary Entertainment, the company behind the new Pokemon flick, also made blockbuster Jurassic World and the hit film version of Warcraft.
Nighy, 68, was spotted filming scenes for Detective Pikachu in London early last month before the production headed north for two weeks.
The Devil’s Pulpit, off the A809 near Killearn, is fast becoming a favoured location for TV and film productions. The name comes from a local legend that tells of Satan preaching to monks to turn them away from God at the secluded 100ft gorge also known as Finnich Glen.
The spectacular location has already been used to film scenes for popular TV series Outlander.
Fans of Outlander caused traffic chaos in the area last year as they flocked to see sites that feature in their favourite show.
Outlander scenes were also filmed at nearby Deanston Distillery and historic Doune Castle.
Series producer David Brown last week urged ministers at Holyrood to capitalise on the boom in productions using Scottish locations and show the “political will” necessary to build a film and TV industry. Other movies shot at the Devil’s Pulpit include historical Roman drama The Eagle and yet-to-be-released Guy Ritchie fantasy film King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword.
Reynolds has signed up for the lead role in Detective Pikachu as a self-styled investigatorwho takes on the job of finding a kidnapped parent.
Justice Smith, shortly to be seen in Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and Kathryn Newton, from Big Little Lies, will also appear.
It was recently announced pop singer Ora will also have a mystery role.
Pokemon was first released as a video game in 1996 and quickly became a cultural phenomenon, leading to an animated TV series and film franchise.
The Detective Pikachu character was introduced to the Pokemon universe through a 2016 video game. The liveaction film version is due for release in May next year.
“When the movie is released it is sure to show Scotland’s natural charms in a great light to millions of people.”
PRODUCTION SOURCE