Gundam


  • Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
  • Studio: Netflix
  • Owner: Bandai Namco

It has been well over a year since Netflix, along with Legendary Entertainment, announced that they were working on the live-action Mobile Suit Gundam movie. The film is based on the Gundam franchise, a long-running multimedia mech space opera, that will see Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kings of Summer, Kong: Skull Island) sitting in the director’s chair overseeing Brian K. Vaughan’s (Y: The Last Man, Saga) script. Since the time of the announcement, not much else has been seen or heard about the project, so let’s see how we got here.

A GUNDAM MOVIE WAS ANNOUNCED IN 2021 BY LEGENDARY

gundam anime on netflix

In a story covered by Polygon back in April 2021, Gundam was to jump into live-action feature film territory as Legendary Pictures (Godzilla, Kong, Pacific Rim) was developing the film for Netflix’s streaming service. Legendary Entertainment announced its cooperation with Sunrise Inc., the franchise creators, in 2018, but very little information has been disclosed since then, except for the working title. Unfortunately, apart from the new announcement by Netflix, in which they announced both Vogt-Roberts and Vaughan, no other details were disclosed regarding the cast or the Gundam movie’s plot yet.

Nevertheless, the names, companies, and studios associated with this project seem like a perfect blend for a Gundam movie. Legendary Entertainment already produced its fair share of giant-featuring titles, including both Pacific Rim movies, Kong: Skull Island, the last two Godzilla movies, and the recent hit Godzilla vs. Kong, which annihilated the box office.

Bear in mind that both Pacific Rim movies focused solely on gigantic mech battles, which is the central theme of the upcoming Gundam project. The project’s appointed director, Jordan Vogt-Roberts, is no stranger to gigantic battles, being personally responsible for the magnificent Kong: Skull Island.

SEE SOME OF THE METAL SUIT GUNDAM LIVE-ACTION CONCEPT ART

metal suit gundam

New concept art shows off what they’re planning for the live-action show. Some have been comparing the new look to Pacific Rim.

THE PLOT DETAILS ARE BEING KEPT UNDER WRAPS

Gundam movie

Unfortunately, details regarding the upcoming Gundam movie are still under a dark veil as there have been no recent updates on the film’s status. The original series’s story is set in a futuristic setting, in which humanity outgrew Earth’s sustainability and sought deep-space colonization. Conflicts and wars for independence erupt between humanity’s colonies and Earth federation, which is the central narrative of Gundam‘s numerous battles, which are fought using giant mecha Mobile Suits.

Story-wise, Jordan Vogt-Roberts and Brian K. Vaughan have a wealth of material to choose from for their cinematic adaptation, given the show’s numerous spinoff shows and movies.

THE MOVIE IS STILL IN PRE-PRODUCTION

The entire Gundam movie project is still in its pre-production phase. Vogt-Roberts is currently developing a cinematic of a popular video game franchise Metal Gear Solid. The live-action Gundam movie hasn’t got a production date at the moment of writing, with no announcements made regarding its release.

IT IS A JAPANESE SCIENCE FICTION MEDIA FRANCHISE

Gundam is a Japanese military science fiction media franchise with a dab of space drama, which features giant robots called mecha, named “Gundam.” The original series, called Mobile Suit Gundam, was aired on April 7, 1979, and featured powered giant robotic exoskeletons, also known as mobile suits, in a military setting.

Unfortunately, the series wasn’t very popular when it first aired, prompting the series’s sponsors to cut down expenses, and cut down the series to 39 episodes from the originally scheduled 52 episodes. However, the show’s staff managed to negotiate another four episodes, ending the series with 43 episodes in total.

With the Gundam show’s relatively unfavorable reception, their sponsors sought to sell the IP’s fragments, and the copyrights to plastic models and toys for the show’s mecha landed in Bandai’s hands. The models produced by Bandai were a massive hit with their target group and sold really well, skyrocketing the show’s popularity to unprecedented heights.

The Gundam series and its merchandise’s newfound popularity spawned a franchise that now includes over 50 TV series, animated films, original video animations, video games, novels, and a new series of plastic model kits. Now we’re getting a Gundam movie.

Toys
Gundam toys

As a franchise, Gundam is credited with maturing the mecha anime genre, ranking #2 on Wizard’s Top 50 Anime released in North America list, and the turning point in the genre’s history. The franchise grossed over $5 billion by 2000. By 2014, Gundam‘s annual revenue reached over $730 million due to the massive ongoing popularity of various animated titles and retail sales of hobby items and toys. Bandai Namco currently owns the franchise through its subsidiary Sunrise Inc. which is directly involved in making the announced Gundam movie, much to the fans’ content.

THERE IS NO OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE FOR THE LIVE-ACTION GUNDAM MOVIE

gundam witch from mercury

As of November 2022, there had been no official release date announced for Gundam and, with so little other information released thus far about the Gundam movie, it’s almost impossible to guess exactly when it could drop. There have been no casting or filming announcements. Considering that, the chances of a 2023 release seem unlikely, so the earliest we may see a Gundam live-action film would be 2024.

The one piece of good news is that the only other project that director Jordan Vogt-Roberts is currently listed as being involved in is the Metal Gear Solid adaptation. But as far as which project is first on the director’s to-do list, your guess is as good as ours.

Latest Gundam News


New Gundam Anime Movies Tell Origin Of Franchise’s Greatest Villain

More Gundam compilation films are on the way, as the Gundam.info portal site has revealed that Mobile Suit Gundam: The …

1 month ago

Gundam silver phantom

Gundam Franchise Gets Interactive VR Anime Movie

Mobile Suit Gundam is a franchise still doing well for itself, and constantly growing if the new release is anything …

1 month ago

Mobile Suit Gundam’s Greatest Villain Is One Of Anime’s Greatest Heroes

The entire franchise of Mobile Suit Gundam is filled with complex characters, from Gundam Wing’s Heero Yuy to the more …

2 months ago

The Best Sci-Fi Animated Movie Has Nothing To Do With Disney

The animation dominance of Disney throughout the 90s went mostly unchallenged, except for one man, former Disney animator Don Bluth, …

2 months ago

gundam: requiem for vengeance

New Gundam: Requiem For Vengeance Trailer Turns Mobile Suits Into The Villains

Netflix just released another trailer for Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance animated original net animation (ONA) series that’s scheduled for an …

2 months ago

The Original Gundam Anime Is On Netflix But There’s An Annoying Catch

For someone who wants to get into anime, it can be intimidating. Some of the most popular series, such as …

3 months ago

The Mobile Suit Gundam Movie That Took 30 Years To Make

Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway kicked off what is planned as a trilogy of movies for the franchise, but it took …

3 months ago

The Fan-Favorite Gundam Anime To Watch Before New Netflix Movie

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom dropped on Netflix in Japan less than a month ago, and fans of the legendary …

4 months ago

The Tragic Reason Anime Video Games Are Horrible

Anime fans are used to this cycle by now: a new game is announced for their favorite franchise, the screenshots …

4 months ago

The Gundam Wing Villain That Deserves To Be Among Anime’s Greatest Characters

Mobile Suit Gundam Wing may have been a modest success in Japan, but in the United States, it introduced the …

4 months ago

gundam

The Gundam Franchise Just Had Its Biggest Year In History

The long-running Gundam franchise has always been popular, but it’s astounding to see that it’s more popular now than it’s …

5 months ago

The Most Important Anime Creator Warns Against Disney’s Boring System

Yoshiyuki Tomino, the creator behind the hit series Gundam, is worried that the innovation Disney is known for may lead …

5 months ago

The Darkest Gundam Anime Can’t Be Watched Today And Fans Are Missing Out

If you’ve watched several Gundam series before and thought they weren’t dark enough, you haven’t seen Mobile Suit Victory Gundam …

6 months ago

Watch The Life-Size Working Gundam’s Final Performance Honor The Anime’s 45th Anniversary

Gundam is one of the most well-known, enduring, anime ever produced. A testament to its legacy is the life-sized replica …

6 months ago

Netflix’s New Gundam Turns Mecha Anime Into A Horror Series

Netflix has released a trailer for the upcoming anime series Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance. The two-minute clip introduces viewers to the Gundam universe in …

7 months ago

Anime Studios Need To Stop With Isekai And Go Back To This Classic Genre

The isekai genre currently dominates anime, and it has reached the point of oversaturation. Many niche genres have suffered in …

7 months ago

disney speedstorm echo

Anime Legend Calls Disney Animation Boring

Once Pixar blazed the CGI animation trail with hit films like Toy Story, Disney saw the writing on the wall …

10 months ago

Gundam Returns With An Exciting New Anime Series

The latest Gundam series is preparing for a massive premiere, according to the latest trailer from the official Gundaminfo YouTube …

1 year ago

Gundam

Where To Start Watching Gundam

Sometimes, an anime has come out with so many different shows and movies over the years that it’s difficult for …

1 year ago

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Movie Arrives 18 Years After The Anime Ended

It’s not every day you come to Giant Freakin Robot to read about a giant freakin’ robot, but today is …

1 year ago

Giant Gundam Robot Is Going To Play Rock Paper Scissors Against The Public

A giant Gundam will play Rock Paper Scissors with museum attendees in Japan this Spring.

1 year ago

timothee chalamet dune 2

Exclusive: Timothee Chalamet In Talks For Gundam Movie At Netflix

Timothee Chalamet is in talks to play Kit, the lead of Netflix’s live-action Gundam movie for Netflix.

1 year ago

gundam witch from mercury

See Gundam History Made In The Witch From Mercury

Since it dropped its first piece of content back in 1979 with Mobile Suit Gundam, the Gundam universe has been busy cranking out new and exciting stories for its fans.

3 years ago

Netflix

One Of The Greatest Anime Franchises Of All Time Is Now Streaming On Netflix

Here’s how to get started on Netflix with these classic anime films.

3 years ago