Netflix has confirmed it will distribute the long-delayed live-action adaptation of Gundam, but the casting of Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo has sparked a swift backlash. Fans of the Japanese franchise are accusing the studio of whitewashing a property that serves as a pillar of Asian pop culture.
The film, produced by Legendary and directed by Jim Mickle, has spent years in development. While the plot remains secret, the decision to lead with two white American stars has reignited a debate about Hollywood’s habit of erasing Asian identities in anime remakes.
Fans reject ‘default’ white casting
The reaction on social media has been sharp. On Reddit’s Asian-American community, users expressed frustration that a story born in Japan is once again being used as a vehicle for white actors. Many feel that the industry continues to ignore talented Asian performers for roles that should naturally belong to them.
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“So tired of the whitewashing,” wrote one user. “You’d think in an anime live action you’d see more Asian representation. Why are white people the default?”
Another commentator suggested the problem lies in how western studios view foreign IP, stating: “They think it’s a compliment or honor to have Hollywood whites play their beloved anime. But in reality it further perpetuates that white people are the main characters.”
A history of erasure
This is not the first time Netflix or Hollywood has faced these specific accusations. Previous attempts to adapt anime, such as Death Note and Ghost in the Shell, were widely panned for replacing Japanese leads with white actors. Critics argue that by casting Sweeney and Centineo, the production is prioritising “star power” over the cultural roots of the source material.
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One critic on the Gundam subreddit was blunt about the production’s direction: “The fact that the first person they would cast in a Gundam movie is Sydney Sweeney shows that the people making this are not the right people to make this.”
Others pointed to the specific political themes of the series, which often deals with fascism and war. “I can’t even imagine how someone looks at Gundam and misses its very clear anti-fascist and anti-war messaging,” one fan noted, arguing that the casting feels like a shallow attempt to market a complex series to a general western audience.
Production hurdles and streaming shifts
The project has undergone several changes before reaching this stage. In 2021, Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts was attached to the film. He later left the project, and Netflix briefly exited as well before recently returning to handle distribution.
Jim Mickle, known for his work on the series Sweet Tooth, is now writing and directing. Despite the talent behind the camera, the “whitewashing” label has become the defining story of the film’s announcement.
For a franchise that generates $600 million a year and has survived for nearly five decades, the stakes are high. But for many fans, the film is already failing its most important test. As one Reddit user put it: “The cast will be mostly white, with maybe one or two Asian actors whose screen time will be measured in seconds.”
