‘Gundam’ Fans Petition for Live-Action Adaptation in Light of ‘Pacific Rim Uprising’

Anime adaptations are tricky to handle, and they only get more complicated when you add in live-action elements. Over the years, studios in Hollywood and Japan have failed to nail the genre, but a few have fared well. While Pacific Rim isn’t based on a specific anime, it was heavily inspired by famous mecha series, but that inspiration isn’t a comfort to anime fans nowadays.

No, audiences want a live-action Gundam film, and they are taking to Twitter to demand one ahead of Pacific Rim Uprising.

This weekend, the blockbusting sequel is slated to hit theaters, and reviews are beginning to trickle out for the title. Pacific Rim Uprising will make the second installment of the franchise created in July 2013 by anime super-fan Guillermo del Toro, but critics aren’t enamored with the follow-up. So far, reviews of the film have been lukewarm, and fans are taking to social media to tell Pacific Rim to step back so Gundam can step in.

As you can see in the slides below, fans of all backgrounds have gathered to bolster the live-action Gundam plea. While Pacific Rim is meaningful in its own self-contained right, plenty of anime lovers want to see the industry make it big with one-to-one adaptations. Yes, this new film may draw from Gundam, but it does not put the original mecha title on blast or do it the justice fans feel it deserves. However, Hollywood may not be at fault for distinct lack of Gundam adaptations.

After all, Lionsgate Films did try to get its hands on Gundam a long time ago. The company began developing a live-action take on the popular sci-fi series in the 1980s. Lionsgate went so far as to pull a script together along with artwork, but their attempts were shut down by Sunrise. After years in development, the franchise’s Japanese rights holder put an end to the film studio’s quest, and Gundam has been gathering dust in Hollywood since.

Still, fans are not willing to give up on their live-action Gundam dreams. Hollywood has the right technology to pull off the mecha series’ massive effects, and the right creative team could do its underdog story justice if given the chance. So, here’s to hoping Sunrise can come to an agreement with a studio and get a blockbuster of its own in the future.

Do you think Hollywood will ever green-light a Gundam adaptation? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics, k-pop, and anime!

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