Sydney Sweeney & Noah Centineo Lead Netflix's Gundam: Who Should Play the Other Pilots?
via MSN
Netflix's live-action Gundam film just got its two leads locked in. According to MSN, Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo are set to headline the highly anticipated adaptation of the legendary mecha franchise — one of the most beloved and long-running anime properties in history.
Why This Casting Has the Fandom Talking
Gundam isn't just an anime — it's a cultural institution with over four decades of lore, iconic mobile suits, and a passionate global fanbase that has very specific opinions about how this world should translate to live-action. Sweeney has proven she can carry prestige productions, and Centineo has been quietly building toward a bigger action footprint, but neither is an obvious choice for a franchise this steeped in Japanese sci-fi tradition. That tension — between Hollywood star power and franchise authenticity — is exactly what makes the fancasting conversation so rich right now. With two leads confirmed, that leaves a sprawling roster of pilots, commanders, and rivals wide open for debate.
What myCast Fans Are Already Saying
The myCast community has been dreaming up Gundam ensembles for a while, and the results are genuinely fascinating. Across three active fan-cast stories on the platform, users have staked out some bold territory.
In the most story-rich cast on the site, Gundam — featuring 25 roles and 14 total votes — fan favorite Tom Holland leads the pack with 5 votes for Amuro Ray, the franchise's central protagonist. That's a notable choice: Holland has the youthful intensity and physical credibility to sell a reluctant teenage mecha pilot, and his track record with genre franchises speaks for itself. Also drawing multiple votes in that story: Chris Evans for the enigmatic Char Aznable with 2 votes, and Robert Downey Jr. for the scheming M'Quve with 2 votes. The Char pick is particularly juicy — Char is essentially Gundam's Darth Vader, a masked rival with a secret identity and magnetic menace. Evans playing against type in that role would be a genuine conversation-starter. Fans have also floated Hugh Jackman for the grizzled veteran Ramba Ral and Dave Bautista for the imposing Dozle Zabi — both of which feel inspired.
Over in the GUNDAM story — which leans into ensemble squad-building across 36 roles — the picks skew heavily toward East Asian talent, which makes a lot of sense for a franchise with deep roots in Japanese culture. Fans have put forward Mackenyu, Kento Yamazaki, Minami Hamabe, and Fumi Nikaido for Federation Squad slots — a roster that reads like a dream cast assembled by someone who actually knows their J-drama and Japanese cinema. Mackenyu in particular shows up in the third story, Gundam, as well, cementing him as a community favorite for this world. That story also features Daniel Brühl as Char Aznable — a very different energy from Chris Evans, but Brühl's work in Captain America: Civil War shows he can do calculating and dangerous with quiet precision.
The Bigger Picture
What's striking about the fan data is the split between two instincts: cast it with bankable Western stars who can open a global tentpole, or lean into Asian and Asian-American talent to honor the source material's origins. Realistically, Netflix probably needs both — and with Sweeney and Centineo already aboard, there's a real opportunity for the supporting cast to reflect the franchise's Japanese DNA in a meaningful way. The picks for Mackenyu, Yamazaki, and Hamabe suggest fans already sense that.
The Amuro Ray question is the one that matters most right now. If Centineo isn't playing Amuro — and his roles haven't been specified — then that seat is still theoretically open, and the Tom Holland groundswell on myCast is hard to ignore. Either way, the ensemble around these two confirmed leads is where this film will be won or lost.
Cast Your Vote on myCast
Who do you want piloting the RX-78-2 alongside Sweeney and Centineo? Head over to the Gundam fan cast to vote for your picks, or build your own dream roster from scratch — the mobile suit bay is wide open.
