Image: Kojima Productions
The production company behind Everything Everywhere All At Once and Euphoria will helm the upcoming Death Stranding movie adaptation.
Hideo Kojima has announced that his game studio Kojima Productions is partnering up with film production company A24 to develop an upcoming Death Stranding live-action adaptation. A24 is best known for producing critically acclaimed smaller-scale projects like Everything Everywhere All At Once, Hereditary and Euphoria.
The movie is set to feature a new story in the Death Stranding universe, rather than directly adapt the events of the game.
What’s going on with the Death Stranding movie?
Hideo Kojima officially announced a partnership with movie and TV production company A24 this week, with specific plans to build out a bigger universe from Death Stranding. That starts with a movie adaptation of the game, which Kojima first announced in 2022. The film will have, “new elements and characters,” in the world of Death Stranding, but won’t be a direct adaptation of the game’s story.
A24 and Kojima Productions describe the movie as follows:
The film promises to 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 went on to affirm that the movie will not be a direct translation of the game’s story, saying:
There are a lot of ‘game adaptation films’ out there but what we are creating is not just a direct translation of the game. 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.
A24 is seen as something of an ‘arthouse’ studio, focusing on smaller-scale projects that hardly see the light of day at bigger movie studios. The company is best known for producing popular horror movies ranging from Midsommar to Talk to Me, and various dramas including Euphoria, The Whale, and Uncut Gems. A movie adaptation of Death Stranding would theoretically call for a bigger budget than the studio's usual fare, but the game’s melancholic tone will likely be preserved.
Hideo Kojima is also working on a sequel to Death Stranding and a horror game called OD.