Gundam has announced that production has begun with a brand new poster. Gundam is a popular science-fiction franchise that has been featured in anime, manga, games and referenced in various forms since it debuted in 1979. The franchise has helped define the giant mech genre for many generations of fans. As with many nostalgic influential anime properties, efforts to bring it to the big screen have been long, with Legendary Pictures developing a live-action film since 2018.
Recently it was announced that Jordan Vogt-Roberts, the director of Kong: Skull Island, would helm the upcoming Gundam movie from a script by Y: The Last Man creator, Brian K. Vaughan. The film is a production between Legendary Pictures and Sunrise Inc. and will premiere on Netflix. With a director just recently announced, fans would have rightfully assumed it would be some time until more news came out about the project, but the studio has decided to capitalize on the hype surrounding the project.
Sunrise Inc., the Japanese animation studio behind Gundam, took to Twitter to announce the live-action Gundam film has started production with a brand new poster. The poster teases the massive scope of the project and showcases for fans the story will take place beyond just Earth. They confirm Vogt-Roberts is directing the project and more news will be coming soon. Check out the poster below:
The announcement of production doesn't indicate cameras have started filming but does mean the film has entered the pre-production phase including working on concept art, location scouting, and beginning the casting process. Vogt-Roberts is also currently set to direct Metal Gear Solid for Sony Pictures, and that film had already cast Oscar Isaac as Solid Snake. Yet given the big announcement for Gundam, it could imply Metal Gear Solid is on hold for the time being with Gundam taking priority for the filmmaker.
Gundam is one of the most influential anime, and while it is arguably the most iconic giant mech, it is arriving in a world where they have become mainstream. Audiences the world over have been exposed to giant machines in various projects over the years including The Transformers film series and Legendary Pictures' own Pacific Rim franchise. Just recently in Godzilla vs. Kong, audiences were given the latest incarnation of Mechagodzilla. With all those projects, many of them influenced by Gundam, the pressure is now on for the creatives involved to deliver a film that lives up to the franchise's massive legacy.
Source: Sunrise Inc.