As well as the release of sequel Death Stranding 2: On the Beach right around the corner and the wheels turning on A24's movie adaptation, Hideo Kojima's sci-fi epic video game Death Stranding is getting an anime adaptation, according to a new article from Vogue Japan.
Released in 2019, Kojima's Death Stranding starred Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Guillermo del Toro, and Margaret Qualley, and is set in a post-apocalyptic United States. Players controlled Sam Porter Bridges (Reedus) as he traverses miles of frequently-barren landscape, avoiding BTs (invisible monsters who've crossed over into our world), delivering packages, and trying to build connections between the pockets of humanity that still survive. As of 2021, the game has sold 5 million copies worldwide.
Speaking with Vogue Japan, Kojima explains more of his hopes for the Death Stranding movie, which recently enlisted A Quiet Place: Day One's Michael Sarnoski to direct, as well as teasing that the anime adaptation in the works (following quote comes via Google Translate):
We are aiming for “DEATH STRANDING”, which can only be done in movies, such as winning awards at the Cannes International Film Festival and the Venice International Film Festival. In fact, we are also working on an anime adaptation now.
This seems to be confirmation of the “second phase” of Kojima Productions IP that the gaming auteur mentioned to Variety last year, but that's all we know for now.
Releasing on June 26, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach sees Reedus and Seydoux return, with news additions including Mad Max co-creator George Miller, director Fatih Akin (The Golden Glove), Elle Fanning (The Neon Demon, the upcoming Predator: Badlands), Luca Marinelli and Shioli Kutsuna (Deadpool &Wolverine).
Kojima also has another horror project in the works, he and Jordan Peele's mysterious horror game OD (featuring genre legend Udo Kier, Cuckoo‘s Hunter Schafer and It‘s Sophia Lillis). Look out for more updates on all Kojima projects as we get them.
