‘Gundam’: Netflix Acquires Legendary’s Live-Action Adaptation Starring Noah Centineo, Sydney Sweeney!!

Gundam has found its home base. The live-action anime adaptation, which is set to star Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo, has reportedly been acquired for distribution by Netflix. Details on the Legendary Pictures film are being kept under wraps for the time being.

According to reports, Netflix has won the bidding war for the picture, which brings it full-circle. It was originally in development at the streamer with Kong: Skull Island‘s Jordan Vogt-Roberts attached to direct, but that version of the film never came to fruition. Instead, Jim Mickle, who adapted Jeff Lemire‘s Sweet Tooth graphic novel series for the streamer, is set to pilot the film. Mickle is both writing and directing the film, and will also produce it with wife Linda Moran via their production company Nightshade. Sweeney commented on the film late last year, noting that there is progress “every single day” on the long-awaited project.

What Is ‘Gundam’?

One of the most enduring franchises in anime history, Gundam kicked off with 1979’s Mobile Suit Gundam. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino, the series revolved around a space-spanning war between the Earth Federation and an alliance of breakaway off-world colonies, the Principality of Zeon; that war is waged with massive mechanical humanoid mecha-suits. The series primarily focused on a pair of mobile suit pilots: the youthful Earth Federation rookie Amuro Ray and his nemesis, the Zeon ace Char Aznable. The animated series was actually not a success initially, and was cancelled after 43 episodes; however, sales of model kits based on the mecha were enormous, and the franchise soon found its way back to the airwaves, where it has remained ever since. The most recent series in the franchise is Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, a “what if”-type story revolving around a timeline where Zeon triumphed over Earth. The upcoming film will be one of the franchise’s first forays into live-action, although the 1999 live-action telefilm G-Saviour was produced to commemorate Mobile Suit Gundam‘s 20th anniversary.

Gundam is one of the many projects the ever-busy Sweeney has in the works, although presumably this one won’t require festooning the Hollywood sign with lingerie. She’s reprising her star-making role in the third season of Euphoria later this year, and is expected to return in The Housemaid’s Secret, a sequel to her recent hit thriller. She is also attached to adaptations of the video games OutRun and Split Fiction, and will star as Kim Novak in Colman Domingo‘s Scandalous!