Kojima Productions has partnered with independent movie production company A24 to adapt Death Stranding.
The two intend to turn Kojima Productions’ debut title into a live-action feature film. A press release announcing the move states the flick will “delve into the mysteries surrounding the apocalyptic event called the ‘Death Stranding,’ which blurred the lines between life and death, and brought forth nightmarish creatures into a world on the brink of collapse.”
Kojima’s film inspirations
Death Stranding game director and designer Hideo Kojima is known for attempting to blur the lines between video games and movies, with many of his projects casting well-known actors and including lengthy cinematic cutscenes.
Kojima said A24’s production slate, which includes acclaimed movies like Everything Everywhere All at Once, Uncut Gems, and Past Lives, has often inspired his own work.
“Their innovative approach to storytelling aligns with what Kojima Productions has been doing for the last 8 years. Now, we are making a Death Stranding movie together. There are a lot of ‘game adaptation films’ out there but what we are creating is not just a direct translation of the game,” he added in a blog post.
“The intention is that our audience will not only be fans of the games, but our film will be for anyone who loves cinema. We are creating a Death Stranding universe that has never been seen before, achievable only through the medium of film, it will be born.”
Given the movie isn’t being pitched as a direct adaptation, it’ll be interesting to see if the game’s cast—which includes Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Guillermo del Toro, and Margaret Qualley—returns in some form.
Last year, Kojima Productions outlined plans to adapt Death Stranding into a movie in tandem with Hammerstone Studios. That partnership wasn’t mentioned in today’s announcement, making it unclear whether the two are still working together.
As Kojima himself stated, a number of major game studios are attempting to adapt their franchises for other mediums as part of a burgeoning ‘transmedia’ push. This year, Sony debuted its TV adaptation of The Last of Us and Nintendo brought its iconic mascot to the silver screen with The Super Mario Bros. Movie—with both driving consumers towards their video game counterparts.