Key Takeaways
- Noah Centineo is cast in the live-action adaptation of Gundam.
- The film is directed by Jim Mickle, known for Sweet Tooth.
- Centineo will also star as Ken Masters in Street Fighter.
- The Gundam franchise has expanded into various media over the years.
Noah Centineo (The Recruit, Black Adam) is in demand at Legendary after landing another high-profile gig with the studio for the live-action adaptation of Gundam. Centineo is already in the process of filming Street Fighter for Legendary, in which he plays Ken Masters, the North American Ansatsuken-style fighter. If Centineo’s deal goes through, he’ll join Sydney Sweeney (Anyone But You, Euphoria, The Housemaid), who will lead the live-action mech combat adaptation directed by Sweet Tooth’s Jim Mickle. Mickle created Sweet Tooth for Netflix, based on the acclaimed Vertigo comic book series by Jeff Lemire.
Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise, Gundam has been described as a space opera depicting a battle waged between massive mechs and armies of space colonies fighting for independence from Earth. The Gundam franchise has grown into a juggernaut over the decades, with dozens of TV shows, video games, manga, and much more.
Sweet Tooth showrunner Jim Mickle has been tapped to write and direct the live-action adaptation of Gundam, which is being co-developed by Legendary and Bandai Namco Filmworks. In addition to Sweet Tooth, Mickle is also known for Stake Land, the post-apocalyptic vampire movie which has become a cult favorite, We Are What We Are, Cold in July, and In the Shadow of the Moon. He also developed the Joe R. Lansdale-inspired Hap and Leonard TV series, which was sadly canceled after three seasons. Mickle is producing the film alongside Linda Moran through their company Nightshade.
This project has been in the works since 2021, when it was announced that Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island) was working on a Gundam movie for Legendary and Netflix, and he seemed pretty pumped about the project. Some concept art was even released showcasing one of the giant mechs, but Vogt-Roberts and Netflix cut ties and jettisoned the project. Legendary continued pushing it forward and turned to Mickle to take the helm.
In addition to Street Fighter, Noah Centineo is in talks to play a young Rambo for Millennium Media’s John Rambo origins film. The project is helmed by Sisu director Jalmari Helander, who directs from a script by Rory Haines and Sohrab Noshirvani.
Plot details for John Rambo remain a mystery, but the film is likely to focus on the early military career of the legendary Vietnam War veteran made famous by Sylvester Stallone. John Rambo, created by David Morell in his novel First Blood, is one of the most iconic characters in U.S. cinematic history. The tough-as-nails role helped put Stallone on the map and pave the way for other titans of the action genre.
What do you think about Noah Centineo joining the cast of Jim Mickle’s live-action Gundam movie? Let us know in the comments section below.
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