The Gundam franchise’s most recent significant series was undoubtedly 2015’s Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphan (IBO).
However, another miniseries that played concurrently with Gundam IBO at the time managed to take part in the show’s focus. Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt was the title of this miniseries.
While Thunderbolt began as a miniseries, it achieved national prominence through its compilation of films. The first season was gathered into a film titled Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky in 2016, while the second season was made into a film titled Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower in 2017.
Thunderbolt was highly successful at the time. Its endearing characters, spectacular action sequences, and deft usage of jazz garnered positive reviews from fans and reviewers.
Thunderbolt’s admirers couldn’t get enough of it and clamor for more. Regrettably, the following film never materialized. Will a third Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt film ever be made?
Why Hasn’t There Been a new Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt movie?
During an interview at Anime Boston 2019, Thunderbolt producer Naohiro Ogata confirmed that both the personnel and the company are interested in working on the next Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt film.
Rather than generating a new plot, they preferred to wait until the original manga included sufficient story content.
Regrettably, Yasuo Ohtagaki, the mangaka behind Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, was forced to take a prolonged leave of absence due to tendonitis.
It significantly delayed any future anime adaptation efforts. As a result, the crew shifted its focus to other Gundam projects. According to Ogata, this is the sole reason for the delay in producing the next Thunderbolt anime.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt’s Source Material
If new stuff was the issue, we no longer have to worry about it. Because while the production crew is occupied with other projects, Yasuo Ohtagaki has been working tirelessly to expand the Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt universe.
The films adapted the manga’s first seven volumes. When this article was created, Viz Media had released the manga’s seventeenth volume, while the original Japanese edition had already reached the nineteenth. Additionally, Ohtagaki just indicated that the Thunderbolt tale is nearing completion.
That means there are many manga materials that the production crew can adapt into a film, or better yet, a series of films. This is fantastic news for the innumerable Thunderbolt lovers who have been anxiously awaiting the next model.
Will a third Gundam Thunderbolt film ever be made?
Considering the manga’s facts mentioned above, the primary issues preventing the staff from working on the series have been handled. Not only that, but the reaction from fans worldwide demonstrates the enormous need for a new Thunderbolt anime.
So, will a third Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt film ever be made? Yes, unequivocally. It is quite likely that another Thunderbolt film will be made. However, the issue has switched from if they will produce the film to when they decide to do it.
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When is a production scheduled to begin?
The production team preferred to focus on other projects rather than wait for fresh material for Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt. Several Gundam Build Fighters and Gundam Build Divers series are included in these endeavors.
Additionally, there are other short series, such as Mobile Suit Gundam: Twilight Axis and Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative, and various spin-offs, such as Gundam Breaker Battle and SD Gundam.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash, the new film Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan’s Island, and the new major series Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury are the most popular.
As if that weren’t enough, the Gundam franchise has a slew of planned games, the most recent is the mobile game for Mobile Suit Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphan: Urdu-Hunt. The world’s largest Mech franchise is always churning out new content.
What’s more, amid this frantic schedule are the residual effects of the epidemic, which severely hamper production and may extend the release dates for these games further into the future.
With these titles in mind, it’s difficult to see how the new Thunderbolt film fits into that condensed timeframe. While hundreds of individuals are working on these projects, this is not a guarantee that fans will receive them sooner.
Yes, the production team may reunite to work on the upcoming Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt film.
However, when they identify the optimal moment to do so remains unknown. One thing is certain: they will not be releasing any new Mobile Suit Gundam: Thunderbolt films shortly.