Mechs, Rivalry, and Romeo & Juliet in Space: Netflix’s Live-Action “Gundam” Wraps Filming

One of the biggest anime franchises in the world is finally getting its live-action moment. Netflix's live-action "Gundam" movie, headlined by Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo, has officially wrapped filming…

By Reetam Bodhak

July 21, 2026

2 min read

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One of the biggest anime franchises in the world is finally getting its live-action moment. Netflix’s live-action “Gundam” movie, headlined by Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo, has officially wrapped filming — and the scale of this production is genuinely massive.

Directed and written by Jim Mickle (known for Netflix’s Sweet Tooth), the film follows rival mech pilots caught in a decades-long war between Earth and its former space colonies. Sweeney and Centineo play star-crossed leads whose shifting allegiances pull them into a high-stakes race across the stars — a setup fans have compared to Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, and even the beloved 1996 OVA Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team

This marks the first time the Gundam franchise, created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and dating back to 1979, has been adapted into a big-budget, live-action feature. Netflix picked up the rights back in 2021, and the project has evolved significantly since — original director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and writer Brian K. Vaughan departed before Mickle stepped in to take over both roles in 2024.

Gundam: Overview

Detail	Info
Title	Gundam (Live-Action Movie)
Platform	Netflix
Director/Writer	Jim Mickle
Lead Cast	Sydney Sweeney, Noah Centineo
Filming Location	Gold Coast & Queensland, Australia
Filming Status	Wrapped (July 2026)
Expected Release	2027

Filming kicked off in April 2026 under the working title Teardrop, based primarily out of Village Roadshow Studios with additional shoots in Brisbane and Toowoomba. The production was a major economic boost for Queensland, injecting an estimated $110 million into the local economy and employing over 350 cast and crew members. The team wrapped after roughly four months, celebrating with a wrap party in mid-July.

The cast also includes Shioli Kutsuna, Jason Isaacs, Nonso Anozie, Michael Mando, and more, though character names haven’t been revealed yet.

For fans wanting the full backstory, the original Gundam franchise remains a landmark in mecha anime history — you can read more about its origins on Wikipedia.

For more Netflix and entertainment production updates like this, check out ongoing coverage on TechnoSports.

With its epic scale and starry cast, Netflix’s Gundam is shaping up to be one of the streamer’s most ambitious sci-fi bets yet.