As previously reported by the trades, Sydney Sweeney is set to star in “Gundam,” A Netflix adaptation of the Japanese sci-fi franchise centered on giant robots. Noah Centineo will be her co-star. The rest of the cast includes Michael Mando (Breaking Bad) and Shioli Kutsuna (Deadpool).
The film appears to be moving quickly as Deadline is reporting that production is set to begin next month. A 2027 release is no doubt being eyed.
Given that this doesn’t sound like a potential Oscar contender, in the slightest, it’s reasonable to assume the movie will skip a theatrical run and head straight to streaming.
Jim Mickle (“Cold in July”) has been tapped to write and direct the upcoming “Gundam” movie. Mickle’s coming off his well-received run as the showrunner and director of Netflix’s “Sweet Tooth” — a genre‑bending series that earned strong reviews and multiple Emmy nominations.
“Gundam” is widely regarded as a cornerstone of anime history and helped define and popularize the science-fiction genre focused on colossal, piloted machines. The franchise began in 1979, created by director Yoshiyuki Tomino, and has since grown into a global phenomenon encompassing more than 80 animated television series and films. It has also become a merchandising powerhouse, generating roughly $600M in annual revenue.
Sweeney was supposed to shoot Colman Domingo’s directorial debut, “Scandalous!”, but that film’s been put on pause. Her sequel to “The Housemaid” is expected to enter production in the fall. She also has the third season “Euphoria” set to premiere on HBO in April.
Given the low budget, “Ebenezer” will probably amount to a win for Depp. For West, I hope this was a one-time paycheck before he goes back to R-rated filmmaking.