News

Gundam: Hathaway Film Rescheduled for May 7 After COVID-19 Delay

Sunrise announced at the opening ceremony for Gunpla Expo Tokyo 2020 on Thursday that the Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway (Kidō Senshi Gundam: Senkō no Hathaway) anime film will open in Japan on May 7, 2021, after being delayed due to the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Sunrise also unveiled a new visual showing the Xi Gundam.The tagline on the visual reads, "The flash of fate … Xi Gundam."

The film was originally slated to open in Japan on July 23.

Yoshiyuki Tomino, the creator of the first Gundam series and several of the later projects, wrote the three-volume Kidō Senshi Gundam: Senkō no Hathaway (Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash or alternately, Mobile Suit Gundam: Flash's Hathaway) novel series from 1989 to 1990. The novel series is set in the year UC0105 and centers around Hathaway Noa, who appeared in the 1988 film Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack as the son of the influential Federation ship captain Bright Noa. (Char's Counterattack is set in the year UC 0093.) The novel series deals with the aftermath of Char's Counterattack's climatic finale.

Shukou Murase (Ergo Proxy, Gangsta., Witch Hunter Robin, Genocidal Organ) is directing the project, and Yasuyuki Mutou (Basilisk, Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096, Deadman Wonderland) is writing the script. Pablo Uchida, Naoyuki Onda, and Shigeki Kuhara are adapting Haruhiko Mikimoto's original character designs for animation. Hajime Katoki, Kimitoshi Yamane, Seiichi Nakatani, and Nobuhiko Genba with adapting Moriki's mechanical deisgns for animation. Hiroyuki Sawano (Attack on Titan, Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative, Mobile Suit Gundam UC) is composing the music.

Producer Naohiro Ogata said on the Gundam.info website on March 17 that the project will feature a "renewal" of the main cast, mobile suit designs, character designs, and music. Hirotaka Suzuoki voiced the character of Bright Noa before he passed away in 2006. Ken Narita voiced the character in Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, and Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin. Nozomu Sasaki voiced Bright's son Hathaway Noa in the 1988 Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack film.

The original Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash novel series featured character illustrations by Haruhiko Mikimoto (Gundam 0080) and mechanical designs by Yasuhiro Moriki. The film project credits Pablo Uchida, Naoyuki Onda, and Shigeki Kuhara with adapting Mikimoto's character designs for animation, and Hajime Katoki, Kimitoshi Yamane, Seiichi Nakatani, and Nobuhiko Genba with adapting Moriki's mechanical deisgns for animation.

Source: Gunpla Expo Tokyo 2020's opening ceremony