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From director and screenwriter Jim Mickle (Sweet Tooth), Netflix’s live-action Gundam movie is headlined by Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo. Here’s our big preview for the sci-fi epic, including filming updates, the cast list, plot, and more.
In recent years, Netflix has become home to a glut of Gundam content, including 6-episode Netflix Original animated series Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance (2024) and Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway, which is exclusively streaming on Netflix. Up next, and perhaps biggest of all, is the live-action Gundam movie headlined by Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, Anyone But You) and Noah Centineo (Black Adam), who play rival mech pilots caught in the midst of a decades-long outer-space war between Earth and its former space colonies.
Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino, Gundam is a sweeping mecha sci-fi epic and one of the biggest franchises to come out of Japan. The franchise dates back to 1979 with the release of the legendary Mobile Suit Gundam series, which lasted for 43 episodes. Since then, there have been myriad entries in the franchise including Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam (1985) and the first cinematic animated foray Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack (1988). Gundam is also a behemoth in the world of toys, thanks to the Gunpla model kits. According to Forbes, the Gundam franchise was made almost $1 billion in 2022.
Netflix picked up the elusive rights to the Gundam franchise back in April 2021, streaming the original trilogy and putting a live-action movie into development. It marks the first time that the franchise has been adapted into a big-budget, live-action movie.
Exclusively distributed by Netflix, the upcoming film is co-developed between Legendary and Bandai Namco Filmworks — the studio behind the original anime. The movie is directed and written by Jim Mickle (Mulberry Street), who already has a distinguished history at Netflix, co-developing the streamer’s live-action adaptation of DC/Vertigo comic book Sweet Tooth. Mickle is producing with his wife Linda Moran through their production company Nightshade, alongside a heavy-hitting team that includes Legendary’s Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, and Ali Mendes, as well as Bandai Namco’s Naohiro Ogata.
Back when the movie was first being developed, esteemed comic book creator Brian K. Vaughan (known for Saga and Y the Last Man) was originally tapped to pen the screenplay and Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts was on board to helm. However, the two ultimately departed the film. In 2024, the project was re-worked with Jim Mickle taking on screenwriting and directorial duties. While the project has evolved since its initial announcement, fans got their first taste of the visual scale back in November 2021 when Legendary released concept art of the classic RX-78-2 Gundam engulfed in flames.
What is the plot of Netflix’s Gundam movie?
Netflix’s live-action Gundam movie tells a standalone story, intent on both satisfying long-time fans of the franchise and being completely accessible to newcomers.
The movie is headlined by Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo, who portray star-crossed, rival mech pilots caught in the middle of a high-stakes interplanetary war between Earth and its former colonies.
In some ways, the emotional core of the story mirrors Shakespeare’s seminal love story Romeo & Juliet. “As shifting allegiances and a growing threat set them on a collision course for one another, they’re pulled into a high-stakes race across the stars that could define the fate of humanity,” the Netflix description reads. “With awe-inspiring battles, intimate human emotion, and an epic cinematic scale, this is Gundam like it’s been seen before.”
Given the grounded, gritty premise of star-crossed pilots on opposite sides of the conflict, fans have heavily compared the film’s setup to the beloved 1996 OVA series Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team.
Back when the movie entered production, director Jim Mickle teased the scale of the film at the Gundam Conference. “Our Gundam is a big story; it’s about conflict and war, but in the end it’s a very human story,” he shared. He also revealed that, while the movie brings some of the animated series’ most recognizable elements to live-action, there are also entirely new additions to the lineup. “[We’re] building amazing sets, featuring some of the most iconic ships and mobile suits from the series — along with some new additions that we’re very excited to introduce to you.”
Who has been cast in Gundam?
So far, eleven cast members have been confirmed for Gundam. No character names have been announced. The confirmed cast members are:
- Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, The White Lotus)
- Noah Centineo (Street Fighter)
- Shioli Kutsuna (Deadpool & Wolverine)
- Jackson White (Tell Me Lies)
- Jason Isaacs (The White Lotus)
- Nonso Anozie (Sweet Tooth)
- Michael Mando (Better Call Saul)
- Oleksandr Rudynskyi (The Agency)
- Javon Walton (Under the Bridge)
- Ida Brooke (Dune: Part Three)
- Gemma Chua-Tran (Heartbreak High)
The road to finalizing this ensemble had a few bumps and “what-ifs” along the way. Before Centineo landed the leading role, singer-songwriter Benson Boone and Outer Banks star Drew Starkey were reportedly in talks for the part. Additionally, Jason Clarke (Oppenheimer) briefly joined the cast in February 2026 but had to drop out by March.
Stars Jackson White, Noah Centineo, and producer Enzo Marc were photographed together in Australia back in May 2026, where Gundam was being filmed. Also in the snap is Grace Van Patten (Tell Me Lies), which has fuelled rumors of her involvement in Gundam. There is no confirmation that she is involved in the movie. She did star in Tell Me Lies alongside Jackson White, so the photograph is most likely a get-together.
What is the current status of Gundam?
Filming on the live-action Gundam movie began in April 2026 under the working title Teardrop. It was based out of Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast, and also shot on location in Brisbane and Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia.
The massive production was a huge boon for the area, injecting an estimated $110 million into the Queensland economy and employing over 350 local cast and crew members. After roughly four months of filming, it wrapped in July 2026 with a wrap party taking place midway through the month.
We can also provide you with some exclusive behind-the-scenes snaps courtesy of BACKGRID:
When does Gundam release on Netflix?
Netflix has not set a release date for the live-action Gundam movie yet. We expect to see it land on the streamer sometime in 2027.
Are you looking forward to Netflix’s Gundam movie? Let us know in the comments.
