(Left) Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks in ‘The Recruit.’ Photo: Courtesy of Netflix © 2022. (Right) 1979’s ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’. Photo: Nippon Sunrise.
Preview:
- Noah Centineo may join the live-action ‘Gundam’ movie.
- Sydney Sweeney is already attached.
- Jim Mickle is aboard to direct.
We brought news back in April that Sydney Sweeney was in talks to star in a live-action version of the ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’ anime franchise that Legendary was busy building.
It would seem she’s attached, and now Deadline has learned that ‘The Recruit’s Noah Centineo is in talks to join her.
If he does sign on, he’ll be aboard a movie that has ‘Sweet Tooth’ creator/showrunner Jim Mickle handling writing and directing chores.
Related Article: Sydney Sweeney in Negotiations to Star in Legendary’s ‘Gundam’ Movie
What is ‘Gundam’?
1979’s ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’. Photo: Nippon Sunrise.
One of the most revered animé, ‘Gundam’ is thought of as the ‘Star Wars’ or Marvel Universe of Japan, and is the pioneer of the mecha genre of IP.
Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino, the ‘Gundam’ franchise spans 83 animated series and movies. Its toy and retail business are huge, with the various products and projects generating over $600 million annually.
The original anime, 1979 series ‘Mobile Suit Gundam,’ is set in the Universal Century, an era in which humanity’s growing population has led people to emigrate to space colonies.
Eventually, the people living in the colonies seek their autonomy, and launch a war of independence against the people living on Earth. The battles in the story are fought by the characters piloting robots known as mobile suits.
Part of the mecha genre, the sci-fi subgenre that centers on robots in combat (and usually they are giant robots), it veered from the formula followed by its mecha predecessors in a manner that added dramatic new tones and textures to the genre.
Previously, the giant robots in mecha stories were presented as almost magical devices with celebrity pilots who operated them via remote control or command. Tomino found those Aladdin-with-a-robot tales flimsy so he re-envisioned them as colossal weapons at the center of a complex military epic.
The giant robots, like Flying Fortress, had crews with ace pilots and everyman mechanics, which lent new perspectives, pathos, and battlefield energy to the saga and then to its genre.
What has happened with the ‘Gundam’ movie so far?
1979’s ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’. Photo: Nippon Sunrise.
Back in 2019, we learned that ‘Y: The Last Man,’ ‘Ex Machina’ and ‘Runaways’ comic book creator Brian K. Vaughan (who has worked on the TV likes of ‘Lost’ and shows spawned from his titles) was hired to start work on a screenplay for Legendary’s live-action take on the ‘Gundam’ adventures –– the first to move it from the animated sphere.
That was followed in 2021 by word that ‘Kong: Skull Island’ director Jordan Vogt-Roberts would be calling the shots on the new movie, which had found a home at Netflix.
With Sweeney seemingly aboard and Centineo circling, the star power is well and truly locked down. This one should be shooting next year if all goes well.
Noah Centineo as Owen Hendricks in ‘The Recruit.’ Photo: Philippe Bossé/Netflix © 2022.
