Pokémon: Detective Pikachu doesn’t arrive in theaters for another four months, but Warner Bros. and Legendary appear very optimistic. Due to enthusiastic responses to the movie’s trailers and screen tests, they believe the film will kick off a new era for the franchise. That means planning for the next installment, and the companies have found their next writer.

Oren Uziel, writer of 22 Jump Street and The Cloverfield Paradox, will pen the Detective Pikachu sequel. He’s become Warner Bros. go-to for nerd culture recently, having also written screenplays for their Supergirl film.

Detective Pikachu 2 could actually be the third film in the series. Rumors indicate that the next film will be a spinoff centering around the villain from Detective Pikachu. (Potential spoilers in the link.) Giving the green light to a film before its predecessor debuts shows confidence. Green lighting two films indicates Warner Bros. thinks they’re on an unsinkable ship. Considering Pokémon is the highest grossing franchise in history, they’re probably right.

The question, therefore, is not whether moving forward was the right call, but whether or not they’re making the right hiring choices. I liked 22 Jump Street well enough, but I turned off Cloverfield Paradox after about 20 minutes. That’s the definition of “meh.”

However, digging deeper into Uziel’s IMDB page led me to a revelation: the man loves video games. He wrote the criminally underrated Mortal Kombat: Rebirth short, as well as the incredible Scorpion/Sub-Zero episode of Mortal Kombat: Legacy. Their success pushed Warner Bros. to hire him to write the Mortal Kombat reboot. I can get behind a writer with that sort of work in his history.

Uziel also wrote the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog film. While I love the movie’s casting choices, the first images have rightly given potential audience members pause. We will see if his screenplay can get us past those ridiculous legs.

Regardless, Detective Pikachu 2 gives him five video game adaptation credits on his short resume. Warner Bros. and Legion are going with an established name in the industry who clearly has a passion for gaming. It feels like a safer bet than most people would believe. We’ll find out in a few months whether or not Detective Pikachu is worthy of a sequel and a spinoff.

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu arrives in theaters May 19.

Are you excited for Detective Pikachu? Do you think it will deserve a sequel? Is Uziel the right choice? Give us your thoughts in the comment section below! And follow DFTG on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to speed on all things gaming and entertainment.