Gundam Seed Freedom Zero Prequel Anime's Trailer Reveals Theatrical Release in Japan on January 15, N. America in February 2027
A livestream for Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM ZERO, the prequel to the Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM anime film, unveiled on Friday a trailer, and it announces that the film will open in theaters in Japan on January 15 and in North America in February 2027.
The cast (which features returning members) includes:
- Kenichi Suzumura as Shinn Asuka
- Maaya Sakamoto as Lunamaria Hawke
- Houko Kuwashima as Agnes Giebenrath
- Daisuke Ono as Leonard Valway
- Sōichirō Hoshi as Kira Yamato
- Rie Tanaka as Lacus Clyne
- Akira Ishida as Athrun Zala
- Nanako Mori as Cagalli Yula Athha
- Tomokazu Seki as Yzak Jule
- Akira Sasanuma as Dearka Elthman
- Kotono Mitsuishi as Murrue Ramius
- Takehito Koyasu as Mu La Flaga
The staff includes:
- Planning/Production: SUNRISE
- Original Concept: Hajime Yatate, Yoshiyuki Tomino
- Director: Mitsuo Fukuda
- Screenplay: Shigeru Morita, Chiaki Morosawa, Mitsuo Fukuda
- Character Design/Animation Director: Hisashi Hirai
- Mechanical Animation Director: Satoshi Shigeta
- Mechanical Design: Kunio Ōkawara, Kimitoshi Yamane, Manabu Shintani, zenseava, Takuya Io
- Color Design:Akemi Nagao
- Art Director: Shigemi Ikeda, Yukiko Maruyama
- CG Director: Mitsuhiro Sato, Kensuke Kushida
- Monitor Graphics: Azusa Tamura, Jirō Kageyama
- Director of Photography: Takeshi Katsurayama, Ryō Iijima
- Offline Editing: Yukiko Nojiri
- Sound Director: Sadayoshi Fujino
- Music: Toshihiko Sahashi
- Production: Bandai Namco Filmworks
- Distribution: Bandai Namco Filmworks, Shochiku Co. Ltd.
Director Mitsuo Fukuda, producer Hisakazu Naka, and Sōichirō Hoshi, voice of Kira Yamato, appeared at a stage greeting during the first screening announcing the prequel. They revealed that screenwriter Chiaki Morosawa and Shigeru Morita wrote the prequel's scenario while planning for Gundam Seed Freedom itself. In addition, Fukuda stated that the script for Gundam Seed FREEDOM ZERO was completed 20 years ago.
Gundam Seed FREEDOM ZERO's storyboards were nearly half finished, and the oldest storyboards actually predate those of Gundam Seed Freedom itself. The dialogue recording has also already been completed. Fukuda added that 20 years ago, Gundam Seed FREEDOM ZERO was originally planned as an original video anime (OVA), but the staff has not yet decided how it will be presented now.
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM opened in Japan in January 2024. The film debuted at #1 in the Japanese box office. It sold 634,182 tickets for 1,065,983,130 yen (about US$7.20 million) in its first three days, marking the Gundam franchise's highest three-day opening in box office earnings. The film is the highest-earning Gundam film in Japan ever.
Bandai Namco Filmworks and Fathom Events screened the film in the United States and Canada in May 2024. Netflix is streaming the film.
Special editions of the film screened in theaters in Japan in fall 2024. One version played with footage added to the end. Another special edition had different footage added (specifically, the above-mentioned teaser video).
Fukuda directed the film at Bandai Namco Filmworks. Fukuda also co-wrote the script along with his late wife Chiaki Morosawa and Liu Goto. Hisashi Hirai (Mobile Suit Gundam Seed) designed the characters.
Source: Gundam Seed Freedom Zero film's livestream
Disclosure: Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc. (Sunrise) is a non-controlling, minority shareholder in Anime News Network Inc.KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.