The live-action Gundam movie gets a new update after leaving Netflix. Hoping to bring the Gundam animated universe to life, Legendary Entertainment has been working on a pH๏τo-realistic movie. Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island) was originally tapped to be the director, and Netflix signed on to help produce. Unfortunately, both Vogt-Roberts and Netflix eventually left the project. Sweet Tooth showrunner Jim Mickle has since taken over.
In an interview with ScreenRant‘s Tessa Smith at the Director’s Guild of America Awards, Mickle offered some insight into the early stages of the Gundam movie’s development. He explained that he is still reviewing locations and that he hopes the movie can serve as an “entry ramp” for new viewers. Check out his quote below:
I’m really excited about Gundam. I think that’s gonna be a very cool movie. We’re just very early on, but just some of the locations and some of the things that we’re checking out, I think it’s gonna be very good. It’s a very dense world. I think what’s cool about this movie would be it’s an entry ramp for a lot of people that don’t know that universe, but I think fans are going to dig it.
What This Update Means For Gundam
The Monsterverse Continues To Grow
After Netflix declined to move forward with the live-action Gundam movie, the future looked bleak. Legendary Entertainment still hoped to continue with the production, but the loss of Netflix meant a loss of funding and additional support. This update provides a hint of hope for a movie that could have easily lost momentum. It also means that the movie will be able to debut in theaters, which is something that Netflix traditionally shies away from. Legendary’s Monsterverse franchise has seen significant success at the box office so far, as shown in the table below:
|
тιтle |
Domestic Box Office |
International Box Office |
Worldwide Box Office |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire (2024) |
$196 million |
$376 million |
$572 million |
|
Kong: Skull Island (2017) |
$168 million |
$401 million |
$569 million |
|
Godzilla (2014) |
$201 million |
$324 million |
$525 million |
|
Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) |
$101 million |
$369 million |
$470 million |
|
Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019) |
$111 million |
$277 million |
$387 million |
It is not yet confirmed if the Gundam movie will be included in the Monsterverse. Still, having the support of a proven studio should be enough to help it reach an eventual release. A live-action Gundam will require significant investment in the visual effects. Any other studio might have abandoned the project, but Legendary’s proven track record with Godzilla, Kong, and Pacific Rim offers a greater chance of success. The fact that Mickle is now looking into locations is an exciting direction.
Our Take On The Gundam Movie’s Development
The Movie Is Still Years Away
The upcoming Gundam movie was officially announced in 2018. Seven years later, there has been little movement in its development. After changing directors and losing Netflix, it remains in limbo while Mickle continues with pre-production. Considering the level of VFX work required to translate Gundam into live-action, it will be at least another three years before Legendary can even think of entering theaters. While this news is exciting, there is still no way to know when the movie will officially enter production.
