Netflix’s Live-Action GUNDAM Movie Has Wrapped Filming and I Can’t Wait to See These Mech Suits in Action

Netflix's live-action Gundam movie has officially wrapped filming, and for longtime fans of the legendary mecha franchise, that's a huge milestone.

After years of development, creative changes, and plenty of speculation, the ambitious adaptation is finally moving into its next phase, but it’ll be a while before we see any footage.

Netflix has steadily built a home for Gundam over the last several years. Fans have been able to stream titles like Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway, along with the six-episode Netflix Original series Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance.

But this upcoming film is easily the streamer's biggest swing with the franchise, bringing the iconic universe into live-action for the very first time on a blockbuster scale.

The film stars Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria, Anyone But You) and Noah Centineo (Black Adam) as rival mobile suit pilots caught in the middle of a decades-long conflict between Earth and its former space colonies.

Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino, Gundam first launched in 1979 with Mobile Suit Gundam, a groundbreaking 43-episode anime series that forever changed the mecha genre.

Since then, the franchise has expanded into countless television series, films, manga, novels, video games, and of course the wildly popular Gunpla model kits that have become a hobby all their own.

It's one of Japan's biggest entertainment properties, and according to Forbes, the franchise generated nearly $1 billion in 2022.

Netflix secured the rights to the franchise back in April 2021, bringing the original movie trilogy to the service while simultaneously announcing plans for a live-action adaptation.

This marks the first time Gundam has ever received a major big-budget live-action feature film, making it one of the most ambitious projects in the franchise's long history.

The movie is being exclusively distributed by Netflix and is co-developed by Legendary and Bandai Namco Filmworks, the studio responsible for the original anime. It's written and directed by Jim Mickle, whose previous Netflix work includes co-developing the excellent live-action adaptation of DC and Vertigo's Sweet Tooth.

Mickle is also producing alongside his wife, Linda Moran, through their Nightshade production company. They're joined by producers Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Ali Mendes, and Bandai Namco's Naohiro Ogata.

The road to getting this movie made has been a long one. Earlier versions of the project had Brian K. Vaughan, best known for Saga and Y: The Last Man, writing the screenplay while Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island) was attached to direct.

Both eventually exited the project, and in 2024 Netflix and Legendary reshaped the film with Mickle taking over both writing and directing duties.

Even though the creative team has changed over the years, fans did get an exciting glimpse of the project's scale back in 2021 when Legendary released concept art featuring the legendary RX-78-2 Gundam engulfed in flames. It was an awesome tease that hinted at just how massive this adaptation could be.

As someone who's been a huge Gundam fan for years, I'm incredibly excited to see what this movie delivers. This franchise has always been about much more than giant robots smashing into each other.

At its best, Gundam tells powerful stories about war, politics, humanity, and the people caught in impossible situations. If Mickle can capture that while delivering some jaw-dropping mobile suit battles, this has the potential to become one of Netflix's coolest sci-fi movies.

Of course, adapting something as beloved as Gundam comes with enormous expectations. Fans have waited decades to see these iconic mobile suits brought to life in live-action, and hopefully this film finally gives them the adaptation they've been wanting to see.

Now that filming has wrapped, all eyes turn to post-production, where those massive mobile suits and epic space battles will begin taking shape.

Here's hoping the finished film delivers everything that has made Gundam one of the greatest sci-fi franchises ever created, along with some absolutely incredible mech action that reminds audiences why these towering machines have inspired generations of fans.