I’m of the opinion that no movie is doomed to fail. Any pitch, no matter how dumb or eye-rolly, can succeed in the right hands if done the right way. So there is certainly a version of a live-action Gundam movie starring Sydney Sweeney that could completely nail what has made the classic mech anime so beloved by so many across multiple decades and spin-offs. And yet I would not wager on it.
Netflix, working with Legendary Pictures and Bandai Namco, confirmed overnight the cast and premise of its Gundam adaptation and, on paper, it’s fine. Sweeney of Euphoria and Madame Web fame will star alongside Noah Centineo, who will also be Ken Masters in this fall’s Street Fighter movie. They’ll play rival pilots “at war across Earth and its space colonies.” There are already jokes about Sweeney playing Zeon Lieutenant Commander Char.
The full cast includes:
- Sydney Sweeney
- Noah Centineo
- Jackson White
- Shioli Kutsuna
- Nonso Anozie
- Michael Mando
- Javon “Wanna” Walton
- Oleksandr Rudynskyi
- Ida Brooke
- Gemma Chua-Tran
- Jason Isaacs
Gundam, the iconic franchise that launched a global phenomenon, is now in production.
The live-action film starring Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo follows rival mech pilots at war across Earth and its space colonies. pic.twitter.com/JGhKyGYzKQ
— Netflix (@netflix) April 20, 2026
The movie will be directed by Sweet Tooth showrunner Jim Mickle and Netflix is promising plenty of giant robots. As for which aspects of existing Gundam canon the show might riff on, here’s Netflix’s description of its original story set in that universe:
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. With awe-inspiring battles, intimate human emotion, and an epic cinematic scale, this is Gundam like it’s been seen before.
This movie is either going to need to be directed within an inch of its life or cost a fortune. Will most of it be conversations in cool Gundam hangers or the bridges of spaceships? Netflix’s original productions aren’t exactly known for their great VFX or memorable mise-en-scène.
I would love for this movie to end up great but I’m skeptical of anyone trying to adapt Gundam into live-action, let alone Netflix. Among other things, it will require a lot of great solo acting in cockpits. Production has begun but there’s no release date yet.