‘Gundam’ Live-Action Movie Has Begun Production!!

It’s been over four decades since the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise came to life, introducing the world to its phenomenal militaristic mecha anime genre, and now it’s about to add its first live-action film to its ever-evolving universe. The project, which was announced in 2018, has gotten the most promising update as production has officially begun per GamesRadar+. Dune‘s production company, Legendary Entertainment, will now officially be co-producing and co-financing the film with Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc.

The deal between these two partnering companies was finalized at the end of January, and the news is now being revealed publicly. In addition to helping Legendary produce the Gundam film, Bandai Namco Filmworks America, a newly announced subsidiary of Bandai Namco, will be the lead point of contact for the Gundam series outside Japan and aim to increase the series’ “brand value.” Meanwhile, the North American subsidiary is set to begin business on April 1, 2025.

Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino, Gundam is an internationally renowned franchise spanning numerous animated series and movies, as well as popular plastic model kits that have been extraordinarily successful. By 2000, the franchise had grossed over $5 billion in retail sales, and in 2022, its annual revenue reached ¥101.7 billion per year, nearly half of which was retail sales of toys and hobby items. Bear in mind that as of March 2020, the franchise is said to be fully owned by Bandai Namco Holdings through subsidiaries Sotsu and Sunrise.

‘GUNDAM’ Has Been In The Works For A While

Details about this exciting live-action project still remain a mystery, including its plot and release, but it has been given the tentative title GUNDAM. Since its announcement at the 2018 Anime Expo, it has experienced a couple of changes, including switching directors and ditching Netflix. Initially, Brian K. Vaughan was tapped to write and serve as an executive producer for the film, and in April 2021, it landed at Netflix with Jordan Vogt-Roberts hired to direct. Fast-forward to over two years later, in October 2024, the project parted ways with Netflix and hired another director and writer in the shape of Sweet Tooth showrunner Jim Mickle. It was also reported that Mickle would produce with his partner Linda Moran through their company Nightshade.