New Pokémon Movie Announced Based on Trading Card Game

Pokémon is exploring whether its trading card game would exist in a world where Pokémon are real. The franchise announced its first theatrical movie in seven years, titled Pokémon: Wild Card, during Pokémon XP. The animated feature film is scheduled for release in “2027 and beyond.”

The convention trailer features a boy described as a “Pokémon TCG player” alongside a Mimikyu, followed by a tabletop set up for a game of Pokémon. CloverWorks handles the animation for the movie, with Katsuhiko Kitada directing and Akemi Hayashi designing the characters.

Pokémon: Wild Card is the 25th movie in the franchise, following 2020’s Pokémon the Movie: Secrets of the Jungle and the 2019 live-action film Detective Pikachu. This is also the first animated movie in the franchise not to feature longtime protagonist Ash/Satoshi and the first to focus on the Pokémon TCG. Previous movies functioned as spin-offs of the anime, but the conclusion of the original series in 2023 shifted the direction of the franchise.

The Pokémon TCG has rarely appeared in the anime world, with only a few references and Easter eggs. Episode 73 of Pokémon The Series, titled “Bad to the Bone,” briefly showed a few Pokémon TCG cards among the possessions of Team Rocket member Jessie, though the cards were edited out of the English version. Additionally, the villain in Pokémon The Movie 2000 owns an Ancient Mew card, which cinemas distributed during the release of the film.

Fans have never seen a character play the Pokémon TCG in-universe, meaning Pokémon: Wild Card might take place in a different continuity from the anime. The trailer shows the unnamed protagonist playing a Psychic deck with a Mimikyu card, indicating that their connection extends to the game.

Many popular franchises are releasing anime movies following the financial success of films like Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle and Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. While Pokémon was an early pioneer in the field, its previous movies relied on the popularity of the anime. Meanwhile, the Pokémon TCG continues to grow, making an original story tied to the property a logical step.

Pokémon: Wild Card is currently advertised for release in 2027 and beyond, meaning production schedules or international distribution could push the release to 2028.

Source: Polygon