EXCLUSIVE: Legendary’s live-action feature adaptation of Gundam looks to have found a home as sources tell Deadline that Netflix is on board to distribute the pic. Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo are on board to star with Sweet Tooth director Jim Mickle helming.
Netflix and Legendary could not be reached for comment.
The project has been co-developed between Legendary and franchise owner Bandai Namco Filmworks, from Mickle’s own script. Mickle also will produce with his partner Linda Moran through their production company Nightshade.
The plot is under wraps, but the film will mark the first live-action entry into the Gundam world.
One of the most revered anime, Gundam pioneered the sci-fi subgenre known as mecha, IP that centers on giant fighting robots. Gundam is set in the Universal Century, a future where humanity has colonized space. When a rebellion erupts between Earth and its colonies, the ensuing conflict is fought by pilots in massive mechanized contraptions known as mobile suits. The long-running multimedia franchise launched with series the Mobile Suit Gundam in 1979. Since then, the internationally renowned Yoshiyuki Tomino-created endeavor has spanned 83 animated series and movies, in addition to a lucrative merchandising arm that generates $600 million annually.
Legendary Entertainment announced its development of a Gundam film with Netflix in the spring of 2021, with Jordan Vogt-Roberts attached to direct the pic following his work with the studio on its hit Monsterverse installment Kong: Skull Island. However, the streamer and Vogt-Roberts no longer are involved.
