After a long time of silence, Netflix is finally moving forward with its upcoming Gundam live-action adaptation, which will make Gundam fans excited and anxious. The project, announced way back in 2018, had a production start but we’ve since learned has been pushed back.
The movie comes from Legendary Entertainment, with Jordan Vogt-Roberts will be directing and producing. Vogt-Roberts’ credits include Kong: Skull Island, You’re the Worst, and more. He has also been tapped to adapt Metal Gear Solid in live-action starring Oscar Isaac.
Speaking to EW in 2021, Vogt-Roberts talked about the upcoming movie, saying:
“My goal is to for all of the people who might say, ‘I don’t know where to start [with Gundam],’ I want to create this film and give them an access point where you can say, ‘This is where you start. This is your entry point,”
The script for Gundam is penned by Brian K. Vaughan (Lost, Y: The Last Man, Runaways).
The project was first revealed to head to Netflix in April 2021 by Netflix’s Geeked account following its initial announcement in April 2018.
Grab your Mobile suits! Jordan Vogt-Roberts has been set to direct and produce Legendary’s first-ever live-action feature film version of Sunrise’s GUNDAM for Netflix.
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) April 12, 2021
Cale Boyter and Mary Parent will oversee the project on behalf of Legendary Entertainment with the Sunrise Interactive creative team and longtime Gundam producers Naohiro Ogata and Makoto Asanuma.
What’s the plot of Gundam?
Concept art for Netflix’s Gundam movie – ILM Art
Little is known about Netflix’s Gundam movie, as plot details have been largely nonexistent.
All we know is that it’s in the Gundam universe. The only slight indicator is one teaser image of the RX-78-2 robot model seen above, which was revealed in concept art.
There have been rumors, though. A listing from years ago stated that the film would be done in an “overseas drama” styled format and would take place during UC 0105, which in the anime is a year before the events of Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway.
Vogt-Roberts teased in 2021 that the movie “may be an amalgamation of several of these different things, different timelines and what not.”
It remains to be seen whether that was true or not. After all, the Gundam franchise spans four decades, and it’s one of the most popular IPs in Japanese history.
The possibilities for the story are quite plentiful.
Who is cast in Gundam?
As of November 2022, no cast members have been revealed for the live-action Gundam movie.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
In April 2023, Giant Freakin Robot reported that Timothee Chalamet was in talks for the upcoming movie. Our sources have also received similar information, albeit we’re told that the production is eying the actor rather than in talks. They’re looking for Chalamet to star in the role of Kit.
In addition, we’re also told that Zendaya is eyed for the project, too (for the role of Cora). Still, we should stress at this point that it’s highly likely that the two main characters are being modeled on Chalamet and Zendaya (who appear together in the Legendary Entertainment movie, Dune).
What this does suggest is that the scope of Gundman is on par with Dune and that the two leads need to have similar chemistry.
But of course, watch this space.
What’s the production status of Gundam?
Netflix’s upcoming live-action Gundam movie is currently in active development, with the script being written by the team.
We were told in late 2022 that the plan is for production to start in summer 2023 (we’re specifically told at the moment the plan is for June 2023), but in an update in April 2023, that date looks to have been pushed back to January 2024.
The movie is eying to film in Ireland.
What’s the Netflix release date for Gundam?
Netflix hasn’t revealed any released dates for Gundam, but considering its possible June 2023 production start, we wouldn’t expect the movie to drop no sooner than 2024.
What are you hoping from Netflix’s Gundam live-action movie? Let us know in the comments down below.
Contains additional reporting from Kasey Moore.
