Netflix’s live-action Gundam movie is finally looking less like industry rumour smoke and more like an actual thing being built in a hangar somewhere.
According to Anime News Network, Netflix has announced a fresh batch of cast members for the latest version of the live-action Gundam film project from Sunrise and Legendary Pictures. The big update: production has now started in Queensland, Australia, and the film will feature an original story rather than simply adapting one existing Gundam series beat-for-beat.
The newly confirmed names include Jackson White (Tell Me Lies), Nonso Anozie (Sweet Tooth), Javon “Wanna” Walton (Under the Bridge), Oleksandr Rudynskyi (The Agency), Ida Brooke (Dune: Part Three), and Jason Isaacs (The White Lotus).
That is on top of previously reported cast members linked to the project, including Sydney Sweeney, Noah Centineo, Michael Mando, Shioli Kutsuna, and Gemma Chua-Tran. Deadline had also previously reported Jason Clarke as part of the movie, but later said he had exited the project.
For Malaysian and SEA anime fans, this is one of those projects worth watching closely, even if we all have our guard up. Gundam is not just “robot anime”; it is one of the biggest sci-fi franchises ever, with decades of model kits, war drama, political conflict, and very serious fans who can smell a lazy adaptation from orbit. If Netflix and Legendary get this right, it could push Gundam into the same mainstream live-action conversation as One Piece did for anime adaptations. If they fumble it, well… Gunpla collectors in Malaysia will have plenty to say.
The creative lead is also interesting. Jim Mickle, known as the showrunner of Sweet Tooth, is reportedly writing and directing the film. He is producing alongside Linda Moran through their Nightshade banner. That does not automatically guarantee a win, but Sweet Tooth showed he can handle emotional sci-fi/fantasy material with a grounded human angle — something Gundam absolutely needs. The mobile suits are the spectacle, sure, but the franchise lives or dies on the people stuck inside the cockpit.
Behind the scenes, Bandai Namco has clearly been preparing for a bigger international push. In April 2025, Bandai Namco Holdings USA created Bandai Namco Filmworks America, a wholly owned subsidiary under Bandai Namco Filmworks, with a focus on overseas licensing and brand management. Bandai Namco Filmworks and Legendary Pictures also signed a joint investment agreement for the movie in January.
This live-action Gundam project has been floating around for years. Legendary and Sunrise first announced the adaptation back at Anime Expo in 2018. There was even an earlier tease in 2018 for a project tentatively called Mobile Suit Gundam UC2, described at the time as having an “overseas drama” format and set in Universal Calendar 0104. That listing was quickly walked back on stage, but clearly the idea of bringing Gundam to a bigger global screen never really died.
There is also a funny bit of franchise history here: Sunrise’s Ken Iyadomi previously said the Gundam Unicorn cameo in Pacific Rim: Uprising helped build the relationship between Sunrise and Legendary. So yes, that tiny cameo may have helped open the door for this whole live-action movie. Anime industry networking memang weird sometimes.
The big question now is what kind of Gundam story Netflix is making. Will it lean military tragedy? Young pilot trauma? Political space colonies? Or will it go safer and more blockbuster-friendly? For SEA viewers, the ideal version is obvious: give us proper mobile suit scale, strong human drama, and enough respect for the source that old-school fans do not immediately reject it.
No release date has been announced yet, but with filming now underway, this project has officially moved into the serious phase. Gundam fans, time to cautiously lock in.
Source: Anime News Network