"Gundam" Movie Adds Jason Isaacs to Cast as Production Begins

Netflix andLegendary‘s live-action adaptation of "Gundam," the sprawling Japanese military sci-fi franchise, has rounded out its cast as it begins production.

Jason Isaacs (The White Lotus), Jackson White (Tell Me Lies), Nonso Anozie (Sweet Tooth), Javon ‘Wanna’ Walton (Under the Bridge), Oleksandr Rudynskyi (The Agency), and Ida Brooke (Dune: Part Three) have been added to the call sheet, which already includes Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo, Shioli Kutsuna, Michael Mando, and Gemma Chua-Tran.

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The plot is currently under wraps, but the film — which will mark the first live-action entry into the world — follows rival mech pilots fighting on opposing sides of a decades-long war between Earth and its former space colonies. As shifting allegiances and a growing threat set them on a collision course for one another, they’re pulled into a high-stakes race across the stars that could decide the fate of humanity.

One of the most revered animé, Gundam pioneered the sci-fi subgenre known as mecha, an IP that centers on giant fighting robots.

Gundam is set in the Universal Century, a future where humanity has colonized space. When a rebellion erupts between Earth and its colonies, the ensuing conflict is fought by pilots in massive mechanized contraptions known as mobile suits.

The long-running multimedia franchise first launched with the series "Mobile Suit Gundam" in 1979.

Since then, the internationally renowned Yoshiyuki Tomino-created endeavor has spanned 83 animated series and movies, in addition to a lucrative merchandising arm that generates $600 million annually.

Legendary Entertainment initially announced its development of a Gundam film with Netflix in the spring of 2021, with Jordan Vogt-Roberts attached to direct the pic following his work with the studio on its hit MonsterVerse installment "Kong: Skull Island". 

However, the streamer and Vogt-Roberts were no longer involved, with Sweet Tooth showrunner Jim Mickle tapped to direct the new Gundam, co-developed between Legendary and franchise owner Bandai Namco Filmworks, from his own script.

Mickle also produces with his partner Linda Moran through their production company, Nightshade.