Fans of the Gundam franchise have been waiting for updates on a new live-action Gundam film ever since it was first announced at Anime Expo 2018. Good news: the production is finally in motion. Netflix announced that the feature film, to be released on its streaming service, will be directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts (‘Kong: Skull Island’) and penned by comic book writer Brian K Vaughan.
Co-Production of the GUNDAM LIVE ACTION MOVIE has begun.
— SUNRISE INC. (@SUNRISEINC7) April 13, 2021
SUNRISE x LEGENDARY / Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts
To be released on NETFLIX. Stay tuned! pic.twitter.com/ub1iekr4CV
Anime fans are usually wary of live-action adaptations of their childhood favourites, but this new film, produced by Legendary Pictures, seems like an appropriate follow-up to the feat of building the life-size moving Gundam in Yokohama.
‘Mobile Suit Gundam’, which was created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and a group of animators at Sunrise Inc, first appeared as a TV series in 1979. Though the series is centered on epic battles between giant human-piloted robots, it's also a portrayal of the human experience through storylines of love and conflict. The show has inspired countless other mecha anime in the four decades since its inception, but Gundam continues to dominate the genre with an ever-growing fanbase.
The plot for the movie adaptation is still under wraps, but Sunrise Inc, whose creative team is also involved in this production, has said that the core themes will remain true to the original material.
The adaptation could take a while to complete. In the meantime, check out these Japanese movies and series with English subtitles that are already on Netflix.
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