Death Stranding Movie is “Taking a Direction That Nobody Has Tried Before” with Game Adaptations

It was recently announced that a Death Stranding movie is officially in the works, with Kojima Productions and Alex Lebovici’s Hammerstone Studios working on the project together. Details on the film are currently scant though, and there’s no shortage of questions about what direction it will take and what approach it will take to adapting the game- especially given how unique and experimental the game itself is.

Speaking in a recent interview with IGN, Hideo Kojima touched on the movie, and though he didn’t provide any new concrete details, he did reveal that rather than trying to mimic the game’s style and stick closely to the source material, the Death Stranding film will instead change things up in an attempt to make it a better fit for the medium. In fact, it hasn’t even been decided yet if the many Hollywood actors who starred in the game – including the likes of Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, and Lea Seydoux – will reprise their roles in the movie.

“We haven’t quite decided that yet,” Kojima said when asked about the aforementioned actors and whether or not they would be starring in the movie. “The failure of film adaptations of games from a while back has led to a lot of movies that cater to gamers, right? That’s why they have the same kind of look as a game. I don’t want the Death Stranding movie to be like that. Rather, I’m taking the approach of changing and evolving the world of Death Stranding in a way that suits film well. I made Death Stranding to be a game, and games are games. There’s no real need to turn them into films. So in a way, the Death Stranding movie is taking a direction that nobody has tried before with a movie adaptation of a game. I think that what I need to make is something that will inspire some of the people who watch it to become creators 10 or 20 years down the line.”

So exactly what kind of a movie is Death Stranding going to be? Kojima says you shouldn’t expect a big blockbuster film, with his and the aforementioned Alex Lebovici’s shared vision being for “a more arthouse approach.”

“I was on video calls with lots of people in Hollywood every week beginning last year, and not just for Death Stranding,” he said. “I received a lot of offers, but my intention from the start was never to make a blockbuster film. Alex Lebovici from Hammerstone Studios shared my vision with regards to that. There were a lot of pitches to make a large-scale movie with famous actors and flashy explosions, but what good would explosions be in Death Stranding? Making money isn’t something I’m focused on at all, either. I’m aiming for a more arthouse approach, and the only person who offered to make a film like that was Alex Lebovici, which makes me think he’s a rather unusual type.”

How long it will be before concrete details on the movie emerge remains to be seen, but it’s clear that one way or another, it’s likely going to be worth keeping an eye on- not that that was ever in doubt.