Iconic game creator Hideo Kojima has himself confirmed that an anime adaptation of his “Death Stranding” game franchise is in the works.
Back in December 2022 came the news that Kojima was developing a live-action film adaptation of the celebrated 2019 game which starred the likes of Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Lea Seydoux, Margaret Qualley, Troy Baker and even filmmakers like Nicolas Winding Refn and Guillermo del Toro.
The game is set in a world after the eponymous cataclysmic event which led to destructive and nightmarish supernatural creatures roaming the Earth and society left devastated and on the brink of collapse. Players take on the role of Sam Bridges (Reedus), a courier delivering supplies to isolated colonies and reconnecting them via a wireless communications network.
A year later, A24 picked up the rights to the project which would be set within the same universe as the game and will introduce new elements and characters. Now, speaking to Vogue Japan, Kojima confirmed the previously announced film but then adds that an anime is also on the way:
“I am also currently working with A24 on a live-action film adaptation of ‘Death Stranding’. When it comes to film adaptations of games, there have been recent shows like ‘The Last of Us’ that keep the plot of the original intact, and films like ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ that are more like a service to game fans.
Each of these works has its own merits, but as a film lover, I want to pursue expression as a film. I am aiming to make ‘Death Stranding’ in a way that can only be done as a film, and that will win awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival. In fact, we are also currently working on an anime adaptation.”
Kojima did previously tease last year that the ‘second phase’ for the franchise would be to “expanding the game IP to other media. That’s the second phase. That’s what we’re aiming for next”. Seems he’s already well into plans for that.
The comments come one month out from release of “Death Stranding 2” on the PlayStation 5 on June 26th. While the reviews for Kojima’s first game were strong, the work was also divisive by its nature – too weird and a bland walking simulator for some, a masterpiece to others. So far early reactions to the sequel have painted a much more universally praised work.
