At the Gundam Conference Spring 2026 livestream event last Friday, producer Naohiro Ogata from Bandai Namco Filmworks officially announced that Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM ZERO, a prequel to the film Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM, will be released in theaters.
Over 20 Years in the Making
The announcement was made during the stage greeting following the first screening, with director Mitsuo Fukuda, producer Hisagazu Naka, and Soichiro Hoshi, the voice of the protagonist Kira Yamato, all present on stage.
The team revealed that the screenplay for FREEDOM ZERO was written by Chiaki Morosawa and Shigeru Morita, who began drafting it while still in the midst of developing Gundam Seed Freedom. Fukuda further noted that the FREEDOM ZERO script had actually been completed for over 20 years.
Currently, the FREEDOM ZERO storyboard is roughly halfway finished, and intriguingly, some portions of it were drafted even before the main Gundam Seed Freedom film. Voice recording has also already been completed. Fukuda added that originally, FREEDOM ZERO had been planned as an OVA (Original Video Anime) some 20 years ago, but the team has yet to finalize what format it will take this time around.
The Success of Gundam Seed FREEDOM
Mobile Suit Gundam Seed FREEDOM opened in Japanese theaters in January 2024 and set new records for the Gundam franchise by reaching number one at the box office in its opening weekend, earning 1,065,983,130 yen from sales of over 634,182 tickets in the first three days. It stands as the highest-grossing opening three-day performance in the entire history of the Gundam franchise, and also holds the all-time record for the highest-grossing Gundam film in Japan.
In May 2024, Bandai Namco Filmworks partnered with Fathom Events to screen the film in the United States and Canada. It is currently available on Netflix. Additionally, a Special Edition was screened in Japanese theaters at the end of 2024, featuring both a version with an extended ending scene and another version with an additional set of special footage.
Key Staff
- Director: Mitsuo Fukuda
- Screenplay (FREEDOM ZERO): Chiaki Morosawa and Shigeru Morita
- Screenplay (FREEDOM): Mitsuo Fukuda, Chiaki Morosawa (deceased), and Hiro Goto
- Character Design: Hisashi Hirai
- Voice of Kira Yamato: Soichiro Hoshi
Source: ann_jp
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