Fans are convinced Nicolas Cage will appear in Death Stranding 2 after series director Hideo Kojima posted a picture of him standing with the actor in his Tokyo studio.
Cage recently made his first foray into video game acting by way of a cameo in the survival-horror game Dead by Daylight, in which he plays a somewhat exaggerated version of himself.
During a surprise appearance at Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest live show, the actor explained the cameo gave him the chance to “meet a whole new audience,” while Keighley jokingly suggested that “maybe he’ll be in a Hideo Kojima game” next.
With our dear Nicolas Cage. pic.twitter.com/nOC3zcxzvS
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) June 15, 2023
Well it seems that there may have been more to that offhand comment than everyone first thought, because Hideo Kojima just posted a picture of himself posing with the Hollywood legend alongside the Ludens statue in his Japan-based studio.
Naturally, Kojima fans are now convinced the actor is set to join the cast of the Death Stranding sequel, a notion which would be more absurd if it weren’t for the director’s penchant for recruiting celebrities to cameo in his games.
Nic Cage in the follow-up to one of my favourite games ever?! Life gets more unpredictable by the day https://t.co/7oYPyBWP9d
— Dale 🇯🇵 (@Dale_DPG) June 15, 2023
We need Nic Cage in Death Stranding and we can shut down the entire video game industry. https://t.co/ZmkQosYhYz
— Isaac Viana Tapias (@IsaacVianaT) June 15, 2023
He’s gonna be in death stranding 2, calling it now
— Riv. (@rivan_is) June 15, 2023
the Keighley-to-Kojima celebrity scan pipeline is fully operational https://t.co/0BI9BKbUHd
— Alex Navarro (@alex_navarro) June 15, 2023
Nic Cage confirmed for DS2! 😂😂😂 https://t.co/ttJyannmnt
— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) June 15, 2023
Many predicted Cage may make a cameo appearance as one of the lonely survivors, also known as preppers, who have chosen to live alone in the post apocalyptic digital world following the cataclysm known as the Death Stranding.
For his 2019 game, Kojima assembled an eclectic cast of celebrities to voice these quest givers, including comedian Conan O’Brien, horror artist Junji Ito, movie director Edgar Wright, and, of course, Kojima’s old buddy Geoff Keighley.
Oh my god. He will be in DS2 and we must bring him the Last copies of movies to get 5 Stars.
— Buckhard1 (@buckhard1) June 15, 2023
He better be a preppervor smth like that in ds2
— kolberjimbo death stranding (@totallykojima) June 15, 2023
Others got a little more specific with their predictions, with some suggesting the actor could portray a version of himself in Death Stranding 2. From there, the suggestions got less…predictable.
He’s gonna be in DS2 playing himself
— Redlinked (@Redlinkeddd) June 15, 2023
HEAR ME OUT
DEATH STRANDING 2 GHOST RIDER DELIVERING PACKAGES IN HIS MOTORCYCLE 😎💀
— Marc 🐺 (@LookAtMarc) June 15, 2023
Cast him as Higgs’ Dad, I dare you 😂 https://t.co/hziov6bzyY
— BodyBag – can’t talk rn listening to Sleep Token (@BodyBag_92) June 15, 2023
Imagine Death Stranding 2 having a mission in which you have to help Nic’s character steal sports cars from before the Death Stranding happen, which survived in perfect condition in a Homo Demens facility. You drive a Shelby GT500, break it, make it electric and Nic goes apeshit
— Sir Lewis Von Yolo (@lewisvanilla) June 15, 2023
delivering a package in Death Stranding 2 and it turns out to be the declaration of independence https://t.co/S1ySVAR4KZ
— emmalition🗡️ (@emmalition) June 15, 2023
Some even suggested the cult actor could take on the role of a villain alongside Troy Baker’s character in the upcoming sequel, which was revealed during The Game Awards 2022 live show, and accompanied by a cryptic trailer that seemed to confirm the return of Norman Reedus as series protagonist Sam Porter Bridges.
Death Stranding 2s new villan??? 👀👀👀
— JpansAmerica (@JpansAmerica) June 15, 2023
I need Nic Cage as one of the next villains of DS pleaaaasseeeeee he’s sooo good for it https://t.co/y2mhQyhcPg
— Hampo (@sprklypantsu) June 15, 2023
Cage playing one of villains in Kojima’s game? I’m in. https://t.co/pm4T71gR96
— Will (@begalracer) June 15, 2023
Final Boss in DS2? 😛
— Liha (@_Lihaa) June 15, 2023
Regardless, the idea of a Nicolas Cage-infused Hideo Kojima title seems to be a hit among fans, many of whom pledged to pick up the Death Stranding sequel on launch day, assuming the actor actually features in the game.
If Nicholas Cage is in DS2, it’s a Day One for me.
— Peaceful Derrick (@ohheyitsderrick) June 15, 2023
I didnt play DS but honestly I would play DS2 just for Nicolas Cage if hes in. Thats how cool hes to me lol .
— Jos. (@GhostStarseeker) June 15, 2023
If Nic Cage is in DS2, then I’m pre-ordering that shit on the spot
— Zacha (@Zackkhat) June 15, 2023
Of course, it’s also perfectly possible Kojima simply invited Cage to tour his offices in the hope of recruiting him as a guest for a potential second season of his Spotify podcast Brain Structure, or that, god forbid, he simply wanted to meet a fellow creative. The one thing that we can take away from Cage’s surprise visit is that his interest in the video game world didn’t suddenly end with his appearance in Dead by Daylight.
Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video gaming news for IGN. He has over eight years experience of covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and absolutely no time for your shenanigans. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer
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