Written by Edwin Francisco
Legendary recently released concept art for the Jordan Vogt-Roberts Mobile Suit Gundam live-action movie.
We’ve reported back in April that Vogt-Roberts has taken the helm of the live-action movie for Gundam.
Gundam fans are skeptical if this can be done right, and rightfully so.
The first time Sunrise made a western movie based on Gundam was called G-Saviour back in 1999 which was produced by Pulsar Entertainment.
It was a direct-to-video movie that didn’t sit well with the fans.
I think ever since we saw the Mobile Suit Gundam RX-78-2 in Ready Player One (2018), we all got such a wonderful surprise seeing the popular mecha on the big screen.
Personally, I was smiling seeing the Mobile Gundam fighting the Mecha Godzilla.
Anime-based films are usually difficult to translate into a live-action films.
Death Note (2017) by Netflix felt rushed. Ghost in the Shell (2017) with Scarlet Johansen, even though it was a visually amazing film, was criticized for dumbing down the story.
Image: Sunrise
It doesn’t mean that anime can’t be translated well. Robert Rodriguez’s Alita: Battle Angel got a lot of praise.
The Japanese live-action series of movies based on Samurai X was amazingly done.
Netflix is currently under the microscope again, and for sure that they want a proper anime translation.
Especially now with Cowboy Bebop (1998), which is considered a classic with anime fans.
They want to do it right to the point that they got the original director of the anime Shinichirō Watanabe to be their consultant and original composer Yoko Kanno to return to make the music for the series.
Cowboy Bebop is also under Sunrise.
The Netflix series is coming out this mid-November.
This time, there are a lot of things going for the Gundam film.
The image that Legendary shared seems to be a silhouette of an unfinished Mobile Suit Gundam RX-78-2.
Netflix is not kidding around.
They know when a show works, it will gain them a lot of subscribers in the long run.
Legendary Releases The Live Action Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Concept Art
It’s Gundam like you’ve never seen before. Here’s a first look at concept art from Kong: Skull Island director, @VogtRoberts’s upcoming live action Gundam film. #GundamMovie pic.twitter.com/K651o4iSXd
— Legendary (@Legendary) November 9, 2021
Even franchises that are known for video games are getting a lot of attention.
The live-action version of The Witcher (2019) which was based on short stories by Andrzej Sapkowski was successful enough to get another season, and recently, an animated mini-series based on League of Legends, Arcane has been getting a lot of attention.
Legendary Entertainment (Dune, Godzilla, Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Trilogy) and Sunrise announced the movie was in early development back in 2018.
In the same year, they got Brian K. Vaughan (Y: The Last Man, Marvel’s The Runaways) to write the film.
Vaughan was also currently working on a Silver Surfer movie before Disney bought Fox.
In April 2021, Legendary partnered with Netflix and got the director Jordan Vogt-Roberts to helm the film.
This also means that they are focused on making this work.
It’s important to respect the source material, especially with such a loyal fan base.
Legendary has already made an original mecha movie of their own, Pacific Rim (2013).
Image: Resurface to Reality
Now, Legendary has shown us one concept art on the live-action Gundam movie.
This gives us fans a lot of hope.
But then again, this is concept art.
It’s vastly different from seeing a still frame or a trailer from the actual movie.
What gives me some confidence is the director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, known for the movie Kong: Island.
Vogt-Roberts has also been working on a Metal Gear Solid film for some years now.
It has also been announced that Oscar Isaac (Star Wars, Moon Knight) is taking the lead role.
Vogt-Roberts has released a lot of Metal Gear concept art in the past years, and it looks incredible.
He has said that he is a fan himself and has played around with Gunpla when he was a child himself.
For sure it got a lot of us excited, nonetheless, the image is just a tease.
No announcements of any other progress, filming schedules, or a release date as of yet.
Related: Kong: Skull Island Director Lands Gundam Live Action Movie
