Noah Centineo is in talks to join Sydney Sweeney in Legendary’s live-action Gundam movie, giving the project another recognizable name as casting heats up.
Centineo is already working with Legendary on Street Fighter, and now the studio wants to reteam with him for its big-budget adaptation of the classic mecha franchise. The actor also played Atom Smasher in Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam.
If the deal closes, Centineo would star opposite Sweeney in what’s shaping up to be a two-hander. Sources for the trades say Sweeney is heavily involved in selecting the actor who will play opposite her, and the story features a Romeo & Juliet-style dynamic with the leads coming from opposite sides of an interplanetary war.
Jim Mickle Directs and Writes the New Adaptation
The movie is being directed by Jim Mickle, known for creating and showrunning Netflix’s Sweet Tooth. Four years ago, it was reported that the Gundam movie would be released on Netflix. There’s no word if that is still the case.
Mickle also wrote the script for the new Gundam and is steering the project toward a grounded but large-scale take on the material.
The film remains untitled, but Legendary is positioning it as a major sci-fi tentpole.
A New Take on the Long-Running Mecha Franchise
Gundam began as an anime in 1979 and became one of Japan’s most influential sci-fi properties. Set in the Universal Century, the story follows humanity’s move to space colonies as Earth’s population grows. The colonies eventually fight for independence, kicking off a war fought with piloted giant robots known as mechas.
The new movie centers on Sweeney’s character, with the male lead tied directly into her arc. Their relationship becomes the emotional core of the conflict between Earth and the colonies.
