Production on Netflix’s live-action Gundam film has officially begun in Queensland, Australia, marking a major step forward for one of Japan’s most iconic sci-fi franchises as it transitions to a global live-action audience.
Directed by Sweet Tooth showrunner Jim Mickle, the film will star Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo in a brand-new story set during a prolonged war between Earth and its space colonies. Rather than adapting a specific timeline from the original series, the project introduces an original narrative centred on rival mech pilots fighting on opposing sides of a decades-long conflict—one that gradually pulls them into a larger, high-stakes confrontation that could determine humanity’s future.
The film is expected to balance large-scale mech battles with the kind of political tension and emotional storytelling that has defined Gundam for decades. Early details point to shifting allegiances, escalating threats, and a character-driven core set against an interstellar war, suggesting Netflix is aiming for both blockbuster spectacle and narrative depth.
Alongside Sweeney and Centineo, the cast features a mix of established and emerging talent, including Michael Mando and Jason Isaacs, as well as Shioli Kutsuna, who has built a strong cross-market presence through roles in the Deadpool franchise, Invasion, and Netflix features.
However, the project has already come under fire following its casting announcement. Netflix has confirmed it will distribute the long-delayed adaptation, but the decision to lead with Sweeney and Centineo sparked immediate backlash, with fans accusing the studio of whitewashing a franchise widely regarded as a pillar of Asian pop culture.
Much of the criticism centres on Hollywood’s long-running tendency to foreground white actors in adaptations of Japanese source material. Online reactions have been particularly sharp, with users questioning why a story rooted in Japan continues to be reframed through a Western lens. “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?”
Others pointed to broader structural issues in how global IP is adapted. “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,” another commenter wrote.
Read more: Netflix Under Fire For Whitewashing As Sydney Sweeney Joins Live-action ‘Gundam’
The criticism echoes past controversies surrounding adaptations such as Ghost in the Shell and Death Note, both of which faced similar backlash for sidelining Asian leads. For some fans, the concern is not just about casting, but about whether the adaptation will retain the political and philosophical depth that defines Gundam.
“I can’t even imagine how someone looks at Gundam and misses its very clear anti-fascist and anti-war messaging,” one fan noted, while another was more direct: “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.”
The project itself has undergone a long and uneven development process. Kong: Skull Island director Jordan Vogt-Roberts was previously attached before exiting, while Netflix also stepped away at one stage before returning to distribute the film. Mickle now leads the project as both writer and director, backed by Legendary Pictures in partnership with Bandai Namco Filmworks.
With filming now underway, the live-action Gundam adaptation stands as one of Netflix’s most ambitious anime-to-live-action projects to date. But for many fans, the conversation around representation and cultural authenticity has already become inseparable from the film itself. 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.”
