Netflix is reportedly set to become the distributor for Legendary Entertainment’s long-in-development live-action Mobile Suit Gundam movie, according to sources cited by Deadline. The project is said to star Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo, with filmmaker Jim Mickle attached to direct.
Neither Netflix nor Legendary has officially commented on the report.
Project Development and Creative Team
The live-action Mobile Suit Gundam film has been co-developed by Legendary Entertainment and franchise owner Bandai Namco Filmworks. Jim Mickle is directing from his own script and will also serve as a producer alongside Linda Moran through their production banner Nightshade. Noah Centineo is also producing the film with his partner Enzo Marc.
Plot details are currently being kept under wraps.
If completed, the project will mark the first live-action feature film set in the Gundam universe. While the franchise has previously explored live-action formats, the only notable attempt was G-Saviour, a Canadian-produced television film that aired on TV Asahi in 1999.
Mobile Suit Gundam is widely regarded as one of the most influential anime franchises of all time and is credited with pioneering the mecha science-fiction subgenre focused on giant humanoid combat machines. The series is primarily set in the Universal Century timeline, depicting a future where humanity has expanded into space and conflicts between Earth and space colonies are fought using massive mechanized weapons known as mobile suits.
The franchise began with Mobile Suit Gundam in 1979 and was created by legendary anime director Yoshiyuki Tomino. Since then, Gundam has expanded into a vast multimedia property encompassing more than 80 animated series and films, along with novels, games, and a major merchandising business.
According to industry estimates cited by Deadline, Gundam merchandise alone generates approximately $600 million annually, making it one of Japan’s most commercially successful IPs worldwide.
A Long Road to Live Action
Legendary first announced plans to develop a live-action Gundam film in partnership with Netflix in spring 2021. At that time, director Jordan Vogt-Roberts was attached to the project following his collaboration with Legendary on Kong: Skull Island. However, both Vogt-Roberts and Netflix later exited that version of the project.
The current iteration marks a fresh creative direction, with Jim Mickle now at the helm and new casting attached.
With Netflix now reportedly back in the picture as distributor, the project appears to be gaining momentum after years of development uncertainty. If finalized, the film would represent one of the most high-profile attempts yet to adapt a legacy Japanese anime franchise into a large-scale Hollywood live-action production.
Source: Deadline
