If The Super Mario Bros. Movie proved anything earlier this year, it’s that actually involving the minds behind the source material in the production process of a big-screen video game adaptation can prove to be fruitful. Who knew? In any case, it appears that Death Stranding’s live action treatment will be handled similarly.
Death Stranding’s game director Hideo Kojima took to Twitter to double down on the fact that he is actively involved in the production of the film. Although, he will not be in the director’s seat when the cameras start rolling and the franchise makes the leap to a new medium.
The Death Stranding film was announced in December last year – and while it was confirmed at the time that it would be a collaboration between Kojima and Hammerstone Studios, it wasn’t entirely clear what the Metal Gear Solid creator’s role in the endeavor would be, exactly. While he seems content with handing off the directorial reins to somebody else to help bridge his baby (pun intended) over to a new audience, it appears that Kojima will be quite hands-on in most other aspects of the film.
Other details about the adaptation still remain scarce. While the original video game had a star-studded cast, to begin with, it remains unclear whether or not Norman Reedus will be its leading man, or involved in any capacity, for that matter. What is known is that it won’t be a blow-for-blow retreading of the game, and will bring new characters and elements to the table, via Kotaku.
For the time being, a release window for the Death Stranding movie remains unknown. There’s a solid chance that we’ll be seeing Death Stranding 2 (in which Reedus will reprise his role as Sam Bridges) arriving on gaming platforms before the film comes to fruition, with the sequel having been announced at The Game Awards last year.