‘Mobile Suit Gundam’ Sets Off For Live Action Again — Will It Work?

It’s time to take the temperature on that Robotech movie via its closest IP cousin: Mobile Suit Gundam.

Per IGN, the live action adaptation of the concepts originating from the 1979 anime series created by Yoshiyuki Tomino is moving forward again via writer/director Jim Mickle of Sweet Tooth fame. A previous attempt to bring the Universal Century to theaters was spearheaded by Kong: Skull Island‘s Jordan Vogt-Roberts for Netflix in 2020, but both the director and the streaming service departed last November. Mickle’s version will be produced by Legendary Pictures and the new Bandai Namco Filmworks America. Mickle will also produce the film with Linda Moran.

In the announcement, the two companies released a piece of promo art stating “co-production” has begun, but it’s unclear how far into development the project really is. Could Mickle already have a working draft? Is it possible he’s meeting with young actors to play Amuro Ray, Fraw Bow, Char Aznable and the other memorable characters from the original series? And while we’re asking questions, could Char end up an international heartthrob?

Of course, I’m assuming the film will adapt the original Gundam storyline in lieu of one of the other programs or, indeed, a completely new take on the material in its own discrete universe. But, honestly, why go to the effort and not chronicle the One Year War? That first conflict between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon continues to inspire more recent Gundam efforts. The characters are as compelling as the titular mobile suit. And even Kai and Hayato have a place in a film version. Okay, the children aboard White Base, maybe not so much, but the point still stands: out of the existing Gundam stories, the original tale has the most going for it in terms of cinematic appeal.

Indeed, we have an ongoing Gundam enterprise because the original series was converted to a theatrical trilogy which, in turn, popularized the Gunpla plastic model kits (although the kits also seemed to contribute on their own). Sequels and spinoffs soon followed, suggesting a live action adaptation could bring even more people into the hobby.

And, of course, a whole new generation of people making Char fan art.

Nevertheless, I do worry if the film will actually get off the ground. To do it right, a Gundam film needs a lot of money to bring the key mobile suits to life, dress the characters in appropriately updated uniforms, and create a world suitably detailed for the story. Legendary, known for big projects like Pacific Rim and the two-part Dune adaptation, can definitely drum up the money to give Gundam the resources it deserves, but will there be a true worldwide audience for it?

Perhaps. Gundam finds fans wherever it goes, but not necessarily in the numbers Legendary and Bandai Namco Filmworks America might need. The first real push for Gundam and Gunpla in the States occurred earlier this century when Cartoon Network ran New Mobile Report: Gundam Wing and a heavily edited version of the original Gundam on its Toonami block. The former did quite well, but the latter ran into trouble on the network and a second broadcast of the series was never completed. Gunpla, meanwhile, is a thriving Stateside hobby if Bandai Namco’s lavish booths at New York Comic Con and Comic-Con International: San Diego are anything to go by. It is possible a well-made live action film could expand its reach and bring more people into the unique world of mobile suits, newtypes, and ruminations on war.

Which brings, finally, back to Robotech. As I’ve said before, the only certainty in Hollywood is the understand that the Robotech film will never get made. But a truly successful Gundam on global stage could push Sony into finally giving that long-languishing project what it needs to move forward. Granted, that’s still wishful thinking as we’re still sometime from Gundam reaching screens. We can remain hopeful, though, as the concept always seems to defy the odds.