Sydney Sweeney's Star Wars Meets Transformers Space Opera Is 1 Of The Biggest Netflix Events Of The Decade

Published Nov 10, 2026, 9:30 AM EST Simon Gallagher has worked in movie and TV journalism for more than 17 years. He has written more than 6000 articles and reviews, and edited thousands more. He is an expert in the entertainment industry, particularly in the golden age of screen superheroes. Simon is also a Rotten Tomatoes approved critic. Netflix may be about to see its biggest movie ever, thanks to Sydney Sweeney. Not even very long ago, the idea of streaming movies was something that often attracted scorn. They were mostly considered rarities and oddities, initially dumped on platforms because they couldn't find a theatrical home or because of logistical issues like the COVID pandemic. But since Netflix heralded the age of the mega streamer, major blockbusters arriving as originals on streaming have become a fairly standard event. Netflix already has a track record for expensive blockbusters, thanks to the likes of Red Notice, The Grey Man, and the Russos' painfully underrated and overhated The Electric State. And while they weren't exactly universally loved, in any other year, those expensive tent poles would have been summer or winter blockbusters released in theaters first. Basically, what was once seen as a secondary option is now completely transformed. Looking ahead to the streamers' slate in 2027 and beyond, there are already some very high-profile projects to come, including, of course, Greta Gerwig's hotly-anticipated Chronicles of Narnia reboot. Alongside that potential fantasy titan, one upcoming project could actually eclipse everything that Netflix has done in the past 10 years. At a so-far unconfirmed point next year, Legendary Entertainment and Netflix will release the first live-action adaptation of Mobile Suit Gundam, and it could change everything. In short, the upcoming Gundam movie is a declaration of intent to own the high-spectacle sci-fi space opera genre. Sydney Sweeney Is Taking On Sci-Fi With Netflix's Gundam Movie Image credit: Daniel McFadden / © Lionsgate / Courtesy Everett Collection With rising star Sydney Sweeney leading the charge and a legendary IP as the foundation, the Gundam movie has everything it needs to be Netflix's biggest flagship property. It promises high-stakes action, intergalactic politics, and raw star power that has previously driven the likes of Transformers and Star Wars. If it's not one of the biggest streaming events of the decade, something will have gone dramatically wrong. Sweeney spent the past few years masterminding one of the most impressive career rises in recent Hollywood history without moving away from her R-rated and dark thriller roots. After establishing herself in intense character dramas like Euphoria and The White Lotus on the small screen, she reinforced her reputation with similar choices in adult-oriented thrillers and genre movies. While her sidestep into comic book cinema with the frankly awful Madame Web failed critically and financially, Sweeney clearly hasn't let that studio setback derail her appetite for bigger-scale projects, as well as a slate of interesting genre movies and thrillers. She's also making her first strides into the sci-fi genre, as well as Gundam. Her upcoming schedule also includes Edgar Wright's reimagining of Barbarella and Jon M. Chu's adaptation of Split Fiction, meaning she could, over the next couple of years, carve out a distinct footprint in sci-fi, just as she has in other genres. Taking the lead in Netflix's live-action Gundam is the biggest and most ambitious project on her entire slate, and sharing the screen with giant mechanical suits and interplanetary warfare means her on-screen presence and charisma will be tested in very new ways. If those three movies land the way they promise to, Sweeney will come out the other side as one of the more interesting sci-fi stars of this generation. If her role in Gundam can successfully bridge the gap between human drama and massive world-building and mech wars, she will step into a whole new world of blockbuster potential. Everything We Know About Netflix's Gundam Movie Bringing such a deep franchise into live-action will require somebody capable of handling scale and scope, and who also understands the source material. That responsibility falls to Gundam director Jim Mickle, who previously worked on Netflix's excellent Sweet Tooth, which was a completely different prospect, but which nailed the emotional heart of the source material. And he won't be at the top table, of course, Gundam will be co-produced by Legendary Pictures and Bandai Namco Filmworks, with veteran franchise producers Makoto Asanuma and Neohero Ogata also involved. Their inclusion means the franchise is in good hands, and the movie should respect the deep lore that fans have loved for decades. Production has already kicked off in Queensland, Australia, where Sweeney is joined by an impressive ensemble cast led by co-star Noah Centineo and including Jason Isaacs, Michael Mando, Shiole Kutsuna, Nontananzi, and Ida Brook, among others. Character names are so far locked away in the vault, but we know that the story centers on an epic rivalry between pilots trapped in a brutal, decades-long space conflict. We also know, because this is Mobile Suit Gundam, that there will be giant mechs involved, which is a big selling point. By focusing on the pilot rivalry, set against a backdrop of military tension and space battles, the movie is clearly aiming to capture the grit of the classic anime while also leveraging Netflix's ample purse for big visual effects. Quite how much we'll get to see of mech-on-mech violence in the final project remains to be seen, but it surely has to be a major part of the story. Gundam Could Be One Of Netflix's Biggest Movies Of All Time When Netflix released the first original movie, Beasts of No Nation in 2007, the idea of them making such a huge sci-fi space opera may have seemed very odd, but the sheer commercial potential of Gundam simply cannot be overstated here. Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Hajime Yatate, Mobile Suit Gundam is one of the most profitable and influential media empires on the planet. In 2025, Bandai Namco financial reports revealed that Gundam had actually grown to outperform anime heavyweights like Dragon Ball and One Piece, and the fact that it's taken so long for a live-action adaptation from Hollywood is a bit of a head-scratcher. The revenue model is driven by multi-platform expansions, and Gundam arrives on Netflix with an already proven audience who are desperate for more. Mobile Suit Gundam literally invented the real-robot anime subgenre, shifting away from superheroic machines and introducing a more grounded military hardware focus, with more complex political narratives that make parallels with Star Wars feel very irresistible. In many ways, Gundam arrives as Netflix's answer to Star Wars, as well as, of course, as representing its rival to the massively successful Transformers movie franchise. The combination of grand intergalactic conflict and political intrigue with personal stakes means we could get the ideal marriage of the tragic opera of Star Wars and the high-energy metal-on-metal chaos of Transformers. The fact that Hollywood is still racing to provide enough content to satisfy both of those audiences on an almost yearly basis suggests that Gundam offering a fresh alternative could give Netflix reach even further than the established franchise's audience. When you combine a record-breaking global IP with Sydney Sweeney's rising star, a great ensemble cast, and Netflix's global distribution power, the sky for Gundam really is the limit. The movie possesses everything it could possibly need to become the platform's biggest-ever release, and if the quality matches the potential, Netflix could have a massive new sci-fi universe on its hands to expand even further. Gundam is set for release in 2027. Gundam Director Jim Mickle Producers Linda Moran, Cale Boyter, Matthew Jenkins, Noah Centineo, Sydney Sweeney, Makoto Asanuma, Ali Mendes, Naohiro Ogata