Sunrise announced Monday that American film director Michael Bay will be co-directing their recently-announced Gundam project Mobile Suit Gundam: Tekketsu no Orphans alongside anime veteran Tatsuyuki Nagai. In a press conference on Tuesday, a Sunrise spokesperson said that the development team is looking forward to working with the visionary mind behind such acclaimed films as Transformers: Age of Extinction and the recent Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles movie. The spokesperson added that Sunrise hopes that the legendary box office sales of Bay’s live-action movies will translate into increased revenue for Gundam products.
Bay himself was optimistic about his foray into anime. “At first I was a bit nervous about breaking into a cartoon medium like anime,” he told reporters following the announcement. “But when you think about it, most of my own movies can barely be considered live-action anyway. Much of my experience is with CGI and I hear that’s all the rage in anime these days.” Bay revealed that he himself was a long time Gundam fan, citing SEED and 00 as his personal favorite installments. “SEED had some incredible explosions, really top notch stuff. And don’t get me started on 00’s subtle political commentary.”
Project lead Tatsuyuki Nagai said he anticipated backlash but didn’t see what the big deal was. “It’s not as if we have a reputation to protect. We haven’t produced a decent Gundam show in years and if you’re going to make a sprawling toy commercial you might as well bring in a professional. I mean, did you even watch Reconguista?”
As of press time there is no news of how Japanese fans will react to news of an American working on a Gundam project, though riot police have already been deployed to downtown Akihibara.
One can dream.
I approve. Maybe he can take over rebuild next.
oh my
People please don’t over react on what could happen to the Gundam Franchise just because Mr Bay decides to try his hand on it once, because after all The Gundam Franchise has been running for about 35 years and only Turn A and G Reco have been the only “weak” series to generate enough sales from the products made off them (tho G-Reco has made several kits based off some of their units) Bandai is clearly preparing themselves to “flood” the market with some kits 144 and 1/100 based for their G-Tekketsu project, so relax people because nothing bad is going to happen if Mr Bay tries his luck with it
You telling that Turn-A is a weak series? Get your facts right.. the anime has important storyline to Gundam universe, and latest kit was Turn X MG released last year. The weakest series is actually Gundam AGE..
Yes turn A is a weak series because merchandise wise nobody jumped for joy at the kits from that series and if you consider the MG of the Turn A (with a cow included in the kit) and several years later the Turn X a success you must have your head examined, because Gundam Age spawned all 3 versions of the unit as MGs and the Age 2 normal n double bullet and the Dark Hound plus a large variety of kits from all 3 versions of the series, story wise people think it was weak but you really need to follow it properly to make the judge call
Everything this guy touches gets DESECRATED!
If it’s anything like Transformers, it’s going to be weak story, whiny characters, and barely any mobile suits.
Haha..agree with you..lucky gundam mech cant talk and whining..haha
Don’t forget, he’ll probably make the Gundams be alien life forms… hahaha j/k
Not to mention, any females present will be reduced to under developed eye candy. (Megan Fox anyone?)
Note: nothing wrong with eye candy. Just put as much thought into her as you do the men in the series. Bay will not do this. There will be no badass Relena Peacecraft.
It’s fake.
is this really gonna happen or sitll planing on it?
http://gundamguy.blogspot.ca/2015/08/michael-bay-to-direct-new-gundam-anime.html
Congrats, you guys finally did it. You got a ‘serious’ ‘news’ ‘outlet’ to treat one of your articles as real.
Oh, this happens more than you would think. 🙂
the blog is not there on that site you posted… for some reason
It continues
http://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2015/08/03/dont-worry-michael-bay-is-not-directing-the-next-gundam-series/
LOL. splosions
I really hope it’s nothing like Transformers or TMNT.
I’d really like a ’00 kind of plot due to all of the political involvement really.
Read my 1st comment and you’ll understand better
It wasn’t the 1st time an American 2 work on a Gundam series, don’t forget Syd Mead who did some stuff on Turn A Gundam 16 years ago.
B4 Turn A Gundam, & the TV debut of Gundam Wing on Toonami, anyone here in the United States barely took notice of, or acknowledged the existence of something like a Gundam, which is a shame really.
It’s too bad that Michael Bay couldn’t direct a live movie adaption of Gundam, instead of co-directing 4 an anime series. If he did make a live action Gundam movie, it would be far more than what G-Savior could have been.
NNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
DIRECTER FOR THE NEW NARUTO MOVIE AND NOW GUNDAM?!??!1?
Wow… a prank and its not even April Fool. Worse is its not even funny, if that lousy director directs i can imagine the slow motions focused on wrong people and at wrong times and there will be unnecessary explosions out of no where. *hey look i dropped my phone… KABOOM!!!*
I watched the whole Gundam Wing on Toonami when it first came out!!