"The Death Stranding movie is taking a direction that nobody has tried before with a movie adaptation of a game."
Deadline reports that Michael Sarnoski, currently finishing up post-production on A24 studio’s Death of Robin Hood, will write and direct the film adaptation of Kojima Productions’ Death Stranding.
Sarnoski is best-known for the breakout hit Pig, starring Nicolas Cage, after which he directed a spinoff to A Quiet Place called A Quiet Place: Day One. He’s the director of the upcoming Death of Robin Hood, starring Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer, a dark reimagining of the mythical hero.
First announced in 2022, the Death Stranding movie will be co-produced by Kojima Productions and A24, and promises to bring “new elements and characters” to the world. A24’s previous projects include Midsommar and Everything Everywhere All At Once, and the studio is known for both arthouse drama and cutting edge horror, winning six Academy Awards in 2023 (five for Everything Everywhere All At Once including Best Picture, and one for Brendan Fraser as Best Actor in The Whale).
This is intended to be something more than a direct game-to-film translation. “I made Death Stranding to be a game, and games are games. There’s no real need to turn them into films,” Kojima said when the film was announced. “So in a way, the Death Stranding movie is taking a direction that nobody has tried before with a movie adaptation of a game.”
As for A24, Kojima is as ever gushing about his collaborators. “A24 was born into this world about 10 years ago, their presence is singular within the industry, they are like no other,” said Kojima. “The films they are delivering to the world are high in quality and very innovative. I have been attracted to their creations and they have even inspired my own work. Their innovative approach to storytelling aligns with what Kojima Productions has been doing for the last eight years.”
Kojima says the film will be “for anyone who loves cinema” and promises something “that has never been seen before, achievable only through the medium of film.”
There’s no news yet on whether the game’s stable of Hollywood talent will cross-over into the movie version, or whether a character like Sam Bridges will appear, be played by Norman Reedus, or re-cast.
But there will be plenty of material for Sarnoski to chew-over: Kojima Productions is gearing up for the release of Death Stranding 2 in June with long and elaborate trailers suggesting an even greater scope than the first game. And the game also seems to be in part structured around Kojima wrestling with his own long history, since he’s just full-on incorporating major aspects of the Metal Gear series.
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