The Gundam live-action movie has received a very positive update, as co-production has begun.
Bandai Namco revealed the news, sharing that Dune’s production company Legendary would be officially co-financing the film with Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc. The movie is tentatively titled GUNDAM for now.
Mobile Suit Gundam, created by Yoshiyuki Tomino, is a robot (or mecha) anime that first aired back in 1979, and now comprises 25 series, a massive 34 movies, and much more besides, including OVAs, TV specials, manga, video games, and novels. But, the franchise has never had a live-action movie before now. While it’s not currently clear what story the movie will be telling, there’s clearly no shortage of source material.
A first look at the project was also unveiled via a poster, which you can see below. It doesn’t give much away, but it does have a pretty cosmic vibe. Sweet Tooth’s Jim Mickle is directing and writing, with a theatrical worldwide release planned.
First teaser poster for the live action GUNDAM movie from r/movies
A movie was first announced back in 2018, and by 2021 it was intended for Netflix with Jordan Vogt-Roberts directing. However, Mickle joined the project as director in 2024 and by then Netflix was no longer involved, though Legendary has remained attached.
As for Dune, it sounds like director Denis Villeneuve will be returning to Arrakis soon for Dune 3. “I was expecting to do something else before, but frankly, that’s the inspiration that came to my mind as I took a break this summer and was going back and finishing the story,” he said recently. “I was really moved by the way Part Two was received by cinephiles around the world, and I felt an appetite and a desire to see more and a responsibility to finish that story.”
There’s no release date for Gundam just yet. While you wait, check out our guide to the best anime to watch now.