Sunrise Shares New Details Behind ‘Gundam’ Live-Action Movie

If you have been in the dark this month, then you have lots of anime news to catch up on. Not only have shows like Attack on Titan made a return to TV, but the live-action bug bit the likes of Mobile Suit Gundam. So, if you need an update on the latter project, then get ready to thanks to Weekly Playboy.

After all, the magazine just published a new interview with Sunrise about its live-action hopes for Gundam.

Recently, Gundam Universe did a write-up about Weekly Playboy’s recent chat with Yasuo Miyakawa. The interview took place on the heels of Gundam‘s live-action announcement at Anime Expo 2018, and the Shueisha publication got to the bottom of why Gundam is going Hollywood.

According to the feature, it looks like Sunrise will maintain most — if not all — the control over Gundam‘s adaptation. The full control was a requirement for Sunrise to agree to the project, but that doesn’t mean the company is dictating the entire film. Legendary Pictures will act as a heavy collaborator on the project, and Miyakawa says the relationship there will be a genuine one.

The interview also reveals the president’s awareness of how live-action adaptation of anime are received.

“The president of Sunrise is aware of the criticisms about the live-action production. He isn’t ignoring the many fans and critics wondering if this film will really be a Gundam movie or just take the name,” Gundam Universe writes.

“To fans, Miyakawa says Gundam will avoid those pitfalls by forging an authentic relationship with Legendary Pictures,” the translation continues. “The film will try to avoid simple military characters seen before, especially when it comes to its protagonists. It will be a film based on normal people in extraordinary contexts while being faithful to the basic principals of Gundam.”

As the interview continues, Miyakawa addresses why Sunrise finally gave the go-ahead for a live-action film after previous attempts were halted decades ago. The president says the company is ready to tackle the North American audience as more than 30-40% of its products are sold internationally. Since Gundam enjoys a massive international fanbase, Sunrise feels it is time to explore the series’ iconic history on the big screen, and projects like Pacific Rim helped pave the way for mecha to make its Hollywood mark.

So far, there are no details about when this live-action project will go live. For now, fans simply have the announcement that the project is in development, so stay tuned at ComicBook for more updates moving forward!

Are you interested in this big project? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!