Mobile Suit Gundam continues to dominate pop culture headlines by constantly expanding its massive anime empire with new timelines and universes. Earlier this year, the franchise pulled back the curtain on an entirely fresh universe set to debut in the upcoming series, Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO. Beyond the small screen, the sci-fi giant is also pushing forward with its highly anticipated live-action movie. In a recent, revealing interview, one of the film’s leading stars dropped major details regarding the setting and overall vibe of the project.
Actor Noah Centineo recently appeared on Josh Horowitz’s podcast, Happy Sad Confused, to chat about his upcoming Hollywood projects. While Centineo is gearing up to play Ken Masters in the live-action Street Fighter movie, he is staying firmly rooted in sci-fi geek culture for the live-action Gundam adaptation. During the chat, Centineo confirmed that the movie will be firmly rooted in the franchise’s original anime timeline—specifically the iconic Universal Century, which chronicles the brutal conflict between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon.
“It’s a big action romance space movie. It lives in the Universal Century canon of Gundam, for those who know,” Centineo shared. “I don’t know how much I can tell you about what characters are in it, but I will say you can compare it to a non-Shakespearean Romeo And Juliet in Space.”
Revisiting The Gundam-Verse That Started It All
For fans looking for a quick history lesson, the Universal Century is widely regarded as the crown jewel and narrative backbone of the entire Gundam phenomenon. This foundational storyline introduced audiences to Amuro Ray of Earth and Char Aznable of Zeon, with Amuro stumbling into the cockpit of the iconic mobile suit to fight in a devastating interplanetary war. Concluding its initial run in 1980, this historic clash between Earth and Zeon has served as a wellspring of inspiration for decades of subsequent media.
For instance, the ongoing Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway film trilogy follows protagonist Hathaway Noa, who carries the thematic legacy of both Amuro and Char. The second entry, Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe, premiered earlier this year, with a third installment already on the horizon. Meanwhile, the franchise has also toyed with alternate realities, such as Gundam GQuuuuuuX, which envisioned a timeline where Zeon triumphed in the original war—putting Char in the pilot seat of the original Gundam instead of Amuro.
Whether the upcoming Hollywood movie will feature live-action iterations of legendary figures like Amuro and Char remains to be seen, but Centineo’s latest comments certainly pour cold water on previous fan theories suggesting he and Sydney Sweeney would be stepping into those specific iconic roles.