Noah Centineo is in active negotiations to join Sydney Sweeney in Legendary Pictures’ anticipated live-action version of the popular anime franchise Gundam. The film, directed and written by Jim Mickle, of Netflix’s Sweet Tooth, is a sci-fi war epic set around two characters hailing from opposite sides of an interplanetary conflict whose illicit bond provides for a Romeo and Juliet dynamic.
As Centineo is already working with Legendary on the Street Fighter adaptation in which he’s set to star as Ken Masters, this would be a reunion of sorts. Sweeney was announced to star earlier this year and insiders say she’s been heavily invested in the casting of key co-stars including the male lead. Production is due to start early 2025 in Australia.
Gundam has been a touchstone of the mecha genre since its anime debut in 1979, and it’s set in a future where humanity is divided between Earth and space colonies, with people waging war via giant pilot-operated robots called mechas. The film attempts to translate this influential anime universe for the widest possible global reach with high-budget live-action spectacle.
Noah Centineo, known for his breakout Netflix film To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before as well as a surge of action roles in recent months including Atom Smasher in Black Adam, is also set to play John Rambo in an upcoming Lionsgate prequel. His rising star status makes him a strong fit for Legendary’s ambitious adaptations.
The announcement also reveals that the film adaptation will feature Noah Centineo and Sydney Sweeney in the lead roles, through Legendary, in collaboration with Jim Mickle. Thus, the excitement builds up for the big screen adaptation of one of the most iconic anime franchises.
