We first learned that a live-action Mobile Suit Gundam movie was in development back in 2018 during the Anime Expo, and earlier this year, we finally got an update on the project when it was announced that Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island) would direct the project for Netflix.
Now, Legendary has shared a first look at the anime adaptation in the form of some official concept art featuring the classic RX-78-2 robot suit engulfed in flames.
Gundam, which is generally credited with popularizing the giant robot genre all the way back in 1979, is set in the Universal Century, "an era in which people have emigrated to space colonies because of a growing population on Earth. Eventually, the people living in the colonies seek their autonomy and launch a war of independence against the people on Earth. Battles are fought by piloting robots known as mobile suits."
Legendary Pictures will partner with Sunrise to produce the adaptation, which has Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Saga) on board as screenwriter. Vaughan will also executive produce along with Cale Boyter, who will oversee the project on behalf of Legendary and Sunrise.
Legendary already has the Pacific Rim franchise, but with no word on a third movie, it looks like the studio may have moved on and would rather take a crack at the classic Mech anime series that directly inspired those giant robot/monster mashes.
No release or production start date for Gundam has been announced.
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Mark Cassidy is a writer, photographer, amateur filmmaker, and Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic from Dublin, Ireland.