Forget Transformers, Sydney Sweeney’s Upcoming Live-Action Mecha Anime Is What Sci-Fi Needs

Forget Transformers, Sydney Sweeney’s Upcoming Live-Action Mecha Anime Is What Sci-Fi Needs Published Apr 25, 2026, 11:45 PM EDT Dhruv is a Lead Writer in Screen Rant's New TV division. He has been consistently contributing to the website for over two years and has written thousands of articles covering streaming trends, movie/TV analysis, and pop culture breakdowns. Before Screen Rant, he was a Senior Writer for The Cinemaholic, covering everything from anime to television, from reality TV to movies. After high school, he was on his way to become a Civil Engineer. However, he soon realized that writing was his true calling. As a result, he took a leap and never looked back. Sign in to your ScreenRant account The live-action Transformers franchise's future remains uncertain, but Sydney Sweeney's upcoming anime adaptation on Netflix could become its perfect replacement. Transformers remains one of those massive franchises that has almost transcended to every medium and will likely never lose relevance. However, when it comes to its on-screen influence, Transformers has lost steam over the years. There have been some new animated additions to the franchise, and it is also soon set to expand with another animated film that will feature a G.I. Joe and Transformers crossover . When it comes to live-action storytelling, though, the franchise seems to be in a state of limbo. The last live-action Transformers movie, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts , paved the way for a sequel, but it is unknown whether the follow-up will ever see the light of day. While only time will tell what the future holds for Transformers , fans of the franchise can look forward to Netflix's upcoming live-action take on Gundam . Like Transformers , the mecha franchise has been in existence for decades, spawning numerous anime series, movies, and spin-offs. Its global influence and fanbase alone make its upcoming live-action anime adaptation on Netflix quite exciting. After Transformers, Netflix’s Gundam Can Be The Next Big Live-Action Mecha Franchise In terms of box office numbers, Transformers: Rise of Beasts was one of the worst-performing movies in the franchise. The animated prequel, Transformers One , earned critical acclaim but struggled to leave its mark at the box office. Both new movies established that Transformers has been getting diminishing returns on the big screen for quite some time. This can either be attributed to franchise fatigue or just the series’ inability to reinvent itself in a way that feels fresh and compelling. It seems uncertain whether the Transformers franchise will be able to repeat the success of the early Michael Bay movies . However, fans of Mecha action flicks do have something else to look forward to: Netflix's live-action Gundam adaptation. Directed by Jim Mickle, the movie is currently in production and features Sydney Sweeney and Noah Centineo as its leads. Its cast also includes other big names, like Jason Isaacs and Michael Mando, among others. While it is unknown whether it will adapt any story beats from the existing Gundam anime, it will reportedly tell a whole new story in the Gundam universe. While most details surrounding its adaptation approach and the specific lore it will adapt remain under the wraps, the sheer scale and popularity of its source material seems to spell a bright future for it. The movie's director, Jim Mickle, has previously done an incredible job of adapting the Sweet Tooth comics for Netflix. His involvement alone spells promise for the Gundam movie. While Netflix does not have a long history of success with anime and manga adaptations, the streaming service has done well with its recent take on One Piece . If Netflix carries the same momentum with Gundam , it could potentially get it right and pave the way for a full-fledged live-action Mecha franchise that could even replace Transformers . The Live-Action Gundam Can Do What Pacific Rim Couldn’t The first live-action Pacific Rim movie came off as a combination of elements from both the Gundam and the Kaiju universe. While the first movie had its issues, it did a decent job of setting up a Western Mecha franchise that could rival Transformers and even be reminiscent of anime like Neon Genesis Evangelion in more ways than one. However, despite showing early potential, the Pacific Rim franchise soon collapsed after the second film struggled to repeat its predecessor's success. Unlike Gundam , Pacific Rim also presented itself as a new, original movie series, with only a few nostalgic borrowed aspects from other famous IPs. Netflix's Gundam , unlike Pacific Rim , benefits heavily from being back by a massive and incredibly popular Mecha franchise. Gundam is so well-known in Japan that it is almost synonymous with Western franchises like Star Wars . Its popularity also puts immense pressure on Netflix to deliver a decent adaptation that respects the source material, but the streaming service might just pull it off. Hopefully, Netflix 's take on Gundam will not disappoint and prove to be far better than most live-action takes on Transformers . Created by Hasbro First Film Transformers First TV Show The Transformers Latest TV Show Transformers: EarthSpark First Episode Air Date September 17, 1984 Cast Frank Welker, Peter Cullen, Corey Burton, John Stephenson, Jack Angel, Michael Bell, Dan Gilvezan, Casey Kasem, Christopher Collins, Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro , Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Mark Wahlberg , Hailee Steinfeld , Anthony Ramos Transformers is a multimedia franchise consisting of movies, TV Shows, video games, and comics. The franchise centers on a race of humanoid robots called the autobots who must protect Earth from the Decepticons. Some of the most popular characters include Megatron, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee. In 2007, the first live-action movie in the franchise was released starring Shia Labeouf. The Gundam franchise is a cornerstone of mecha anime, featuring giant robots known as "mobile suits" in various wartime settings. Originating with Mobile Suit Gundam in 1979, it explores complex themes of war, politics, and humanity through the struggles of pilots who navigate these massive machines. The franchise spans multiple timelines and universes, creating a rich tapestry of interconnected stories and standalone narratives.