There’s a lot to unpack in this interview, so here’s a summary for everyone:

G-RECO PORTION

• • Since the news hit a lot of people about Tomino’s health, Ogata says in his interview that G-Reco will be released in its entirety within the next year. Storyboarding is done for all of them and the fourth part is being worked on.
  • He says that Tomino rewrote a lot of the scenes from Venus Globe back to Earth portion. The percentage of new material has been increasing since the second film, but the fourth film takes the cake with the battle scenes being almost entirely brand new.
  • Says that Part 3 was also very different from the TV series but thinks that Part 4 will be an even bigger shift from that.

HATHAWAY’S FLASH PORTION

“You’re already working on the second installment of HF?”

The scenario has already been written and now Murase is preparing to start storyboarding.

“So the second film will be based on the second volume of the novel?”

The flow is the same as in the novel, starting from Oenbelli and ending in Ayers Rock. Tomino said that it wouldn’t work well as a movie if left as is, and they’re aware of that. They’re going to create a story with a “plus a” (what?) and this second film is likely going to have the most new elements out of the entire trilogy. The response to the scenario has been great, so if the first film is Hathaway’s story, then the second will be focused on Gigi.

“Director Murase said in the August issue that Lane’s role will increase.”

That is one of the plus a. He’s going to plan an active role in the story, or rather, he’ll have his own part in the story.

“Do you have any plans for the sequel?”

Says he’d like to release the fifth film of G-Reco within the next year but isn’t so sure about Hathaway’s Flash. It takes a lot of time to make, so he asks that everyone please wait patiently.

HOLLYWOOD GUNDAM PORTION

“Sunrise Studio 1 is mainly producing the UC series, but in addition to these two works, what are your plans for the next “Gundam” as a whole?”

Ogata ponders whether it’ll be possible to have a “Gundam” that will attract newer and younger audiences. For this, a simultaneous flow of different works categorized by target and development will continue in the future. One of the key points at the moment is WHEN the Hollywood film will be released. Once this becomes clear, he believes they’ll be able to set the overall flow and global development, including the SEED film.

“The Hollywood version is being directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts. What’s your impression of him?”

I think he’s incredibly geeky (laughs). He’s a very passionate director. Says he might know more about Gundam than Ogata does and was talking about how amazing the Human Debris episode of IBO was at their meeting as well as which scenes in Gundam he thought was really good. He goes on to say that JVR is a designer himself, and he comes up with all these amazing things, including image boards. His only downfall is that he loves Gundam too much, so they’ve asked him to retain some originality with his work.

“What’re your thoughts on the sequel to Gundam NT?”

Says that the flow of events in UC aren’t over just yet, but it’s being planned. In terms of the Universal Century, they have to move forward with Hathaway’s Flash first, so the sequel to Gundam UC will come after that. He again reiterates that Fukui is off in his own universe again. Says that he again believes they’ll be returning to the U.C.0100 time period regarding the Republic of Zeon.

“Currently there are three platforms available for releases: TV, theater, and the web. How do you plan to utilize these different platforms for the future of Gundam?”

Says that they’d like to consider the best choice and combination for the target audience, time of year, and other factors. The coronavirus has influenced a lot of things but says that nowadays Hollywood movies are released in theaters and via streaming simultaneously, so he believes they’ll make their choices while taking into account the varying circumstances.

Says that TV still plays a major role, and that that will essentially remain the same that they’ll release series on television as it’s a platform that can be seen by a large, wide, and untargeted amount of people. Says that while movies are difficult, he’d like to release one a year just for the sake of excitement. Says the web is effective for promotion and communication given current social circumstances, so how to combine and differentiate between TV and movies will taking advantage of the web will be an issue they’ll have to tackle. Says the Gundam Build Real was a great challenge for them since it was distributed via the web.