Production has begun on the Gold Coast for the live-action adaptation of Gundam, starring Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo.
The film brings the long-running Japanese franchise to life in a whole new way, swapping animation for a big-screen, live-action take packed with interstellar battles and high-stakes drama. If you’re not across Gundam, it’s basically the blueprint for giant robot storytelling – and this version is aiming to introduce it to an even wider audience.
Sweeney and Centineo lead a stacked cast that includes Heartbreak High’s Gemma Chua-Tran, Jackson White (Tell Me Lies), Shioli Kutsuna (Deadpool & Wolverine), Nonso Anozie (Sweet Tooth), Michael Mando (Better Call Saul), Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton (Under the Bridge), Oleksandr Rudynskyi (The Agency), Ida Brooke (Dune: Part Three) and Jason Isaacs (The White Lotus, Harry Potter, The Death of Stalin).
At the centre of the story are two rival mech pilots – played by Sweeney and Centineo – who are forced to team up despite their differences, racing across the stars to try and save humanity. Expect huge action set pieces, but also a more emotional, character-driven story underneath all the spectacle.
While the film itself is global in scale, it’s being shot locally at Village Roadshow Studios on the Gold Coast – something the Queensland Government says is a major win for the state.
“We know that our production incentive ensures that Queensland remains globally competitive, with a strong pipeline of major projects delivering ongoing employment and expenditure for local communities,” said Minister for the Arts John-Paul Langbroek.
“During filming at Village Roadshow Studios, Gundam will inject an estimated $110 million directly into Queensland’s economy by employing more than 350 local cast and crew and engaging a supply chain of small businesses across a range of connected industries.
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“Over the last 10 years, Legendary has consistently turned to Queensland for their ambitious projects, with titles including Pacific Rim Uprising, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and four ‘Monsterverse’ features collectively contributing more than $328 million to the local economy, in addition to Gundam.”
Screen Queensland CEO Jacqui Feeney added that projects like Gundam also help grow the local screen industry, giving emerging talent the chance to work on major productions.
“Legendary’s continued trust in Queensland to create exceptional world-building environments is a testament to our experienced crews, first-class studios, versatile locations and competitive incentives supported by all levels of government,” she said.
“Projects of scale across the ‘Monsterverse’ and now Gundam also provide invaluable career pathways through our attachment program to expand Queensland’s crew base, with emerging screen practitioners having the chance to hone their skills on set, guided by our highly experienced local industry veterans.”
Meanwhile for Legendary, the Gold Coast has become something of a home base over the past decade.
“Queensland has become an important production centre for Legendary for the past 10 years,” said Herb Gains, EVP Physical Production at the studio. “The crews, facilities, as well as the government support have proven to be great partners and problem solvers for our ‘Monsterverse’ films. The friendships that have developed with the community have made Queensland a second home and we look forward to expanding the relationship with Gundam.”
Directed by Jim Mickle (Sweet Tooth, Cold in July), Gundam is being produced by Legendary Pictures and Netflix in partnership with Bandai Namco Filmworks.
