Although Sydney Sweeney’s upcoming military sci-fi space opera marks a big risk for the star, the anime adaptation could not be coming at a better time in terms of the genre’s recent output. Say what you will about the Law and Order super fan, but Sydney Sweeney is undeniably unafraid of taking major risks in terms of her career. From the controversial teen drama Euphoria to the dark psychological horror Immaculate, the star has appeared in plenty of risky, unconventional projects.
However, this isn’t always a good thing. Sweeney’s performance in 2023’s Reality was acclaimed, but the following year’s Eden received a critical drubbing upon release. Similarly, the campy psychological thriller The Housemaid was an unexpectedly huge critical and commercial hit for her in late 2025, but the same month saw her weather a massive flop with Christy, a boxing biopic that was clearly intended to be an awards contender.
Sweeney’s next movie, the anime adaptation Gundam, marks her first major blockbuster since 2024’s disastrous comic book movie Madame Web. Co-starring Noah Centineo, Gundman will be based on the iconic 1979 anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. A space opera at heart, Mobile Suit Gundam sees two factions of humanity go to war in space utilizing Mobile Suits, with the smaller Principality of Zeon wiping out much of the larger Earth Federation at the start of the One Year War before a brutal and protracted stalemate begins.
Gundam Will Be The Biggest Non-Monsterverse Kaiju Movie In Years
With over 80 movies, TV shows, and OVAs since the original 1979 series and a massive, sprawling multiverse that could rival Henry Cavill’s upcoming Warhammer 40,000 adaptation, Mobile Suit Gundam is a massive franchise. Its ever-expanding lore makes the series one of the biggest media franchises of all time, but Sweeney’s sci-fi action blockbuster remains a risk since the series isn’t as famous in America and Europe as it is in Asia.
That said, Gundam could not be coming at a better time. It has been a long time since viewers have had a proper kaiju or mecha movie outside of the Monsterverse, with the Pacific Rim franchise ending in 2018 with the box office disappointment of Pacific Rim: Uprising. Admittedly, the underrated Netflix spinoff series Pacific Rim: The Black kept that franchise alive for a select few fans, but it remains the case that there hasn’t been a big non-Monsterverse multiplex blockbuster in the mecha genre since before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Amazon also has a Voltron movie in the works by Skyscraper director Rawson Marshall Thurber, so the combined arrival of Gundam and this sci-fi action movie could mark a renaissance for the genre. The only downside is that both mecha movies are missing one element that could limit their success. Despite Voltron boasting Henry Cavill among its cast members and Gundam having plenty of star power with Sweeney and Centineo, both upcoming mecha action movies will be streaming releases.
Both Amazon’s Voltron and Sydney Sweeney’s Gundam Are Missing One Thing
While Gundam will be directed by Sweet Tooth creator Jim Mickle, who has already proven himself a dab hand at creating immersive fictional worlds on the small screen, this is still a disappointing format choice for the movie. The entire appeal of mecha movies is knotted up in the sheer scale of their conflict, and it is tough for a streaming movie to feel as big as a multiplex release.
Thus, there is a good chance that neither Voltron nor Gundam will feel like the expansive, explosive action extravaganza that they should, regardless of their large budgets, solely as a result of this distribution decision. However, since Netflix are currently considering theatrical releases for choice titles, such as David Fincher’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel The Adventures of Cliff Booth, it might not be too late for Sweeney’s upcoming Gundam to grace the big screen after all.
