Netflix picks up live-action Gundam film starring Sydney Sweeney, Noah Centineo

Netflix has secured distribution rights to a live-action Gundam feature film, according to Deadline. The project is set to star Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo, and will be written and directed by Jim Mickle, with Legendary Pictures and Bandai Namco Filmworks producing. The film would be the first live-action feature in the long-running Gundam franchise, which began in 1979 with Mobile Suit Gundam.

The franchise is described as one of the most iconic sci-fi and giant mecha properties worldwide and is said to generate about $600 million in annual merchandise sales. It is currently rumored that Sweeney would play a version of Aina Sahalin from Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, while Centineo is expected to portray Shiro Amada, a commander from the Earth Federation.

Gabriel Basso has also been reported to be in talks for an undisclosed role; neither Legendary nor Netflix has confirmed story details. The project has a long development history: Netflix was reportedly attached in 2021 with Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Voght-Roberts, but the movie later languished in development.

Reports say Jim Mickle took over as writer-director by 2024 and Sweeney circled the project in 2025, with Netflix seemingly dropping and now rejoining the project years later. Paramount Skydance reportedly declined to move forward, leaving the film to Legendary and Netflix.

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