Ryan Reynolds is Detective Pikachu, because 2019 will apparently be stranger than 2018

“Ryan Reynolds will be starring as Pikachu” is never a sentence one would expect to write in earnest, but as both 2018 and Ryan Reynolds’ diverse career have proven, anything is truly possible.

Next summer, Pokemon devotees will get to see Ryme City in all of its neon-piped, live-action glory in Pokemon: Detective Pikachu. A film adaptation of the popular Nintendo 3DS game, the titular character is unlike the adorable, squeaky electric companion that we’ve come to know over the decades: This Pikachu is gruff, outspoken, coffee-chugging, and mildly cocky, and you can tell he’s seen some shit on the job. Suddenly, Reynolds seems like the perfect choice.

The Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Entertainment film will follow Tim Goodman (Justice Smith), the son of ace detective and Pikachu’s old partner, Harry Goodman. When Harry goes missing, Tim and Pikachu must team up to find him. Unsurprisingly, the visuals are enough to pique the interest of even the most casual of Pokemon fans—or, in certain cases, the person who learned of this world through an obsessed sibling, the most annoying form of osmosis. It’s the small details, though, that could actually make this film a pretty decent treat, like the “Machamp vs. Primeape” boxing poster seen on the wall of one of the local lounges.

Pokemon: Detective Pikachu opens May 10, 2019. If you decide to go just to confirm that this is something that is, indeed, happening, that’s totally valid.