Death Stranding is a popular role-playing game (RPG) that’s the latest in a string of video games to get a feature film adaptation.
Desribed as futuristic, dark, mind-bending and thrilling, the game seems like perfect fodder for an A24 blockbuster. Read on to see what all the fuss is about, and why people are so excited for this movie to become a reality.
Now warping to …
What is Death Stranding about?
In the Death Stranding videogame, which can loosely be described as an RPG, you play as a courier named Sam Porter-Bridges, who’s tasked with delivering valuable packages across a post-apocalyptic land that no longer adheres to the physical rules of Earth as we know it.
The term ‘Death Stranding’ refers to a catastrophic series of events that destroyed much of life on Earth, and blurred the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead.
Using an ability to see hidden enemies, granted to him by a baby in a tube known as a BB (‘Bridge Baby’), Sam traverses this treacherous landscape to expand the reach of the Chiral Network, a company-owned communications system.
It’s part survival and part sci-fi, with a number of elements unique to its gameplay, prime among them being the cast of characters that are modelled closely on their voice talent, which includes actors Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Margaret Qualley, Guillermo Del Toro and even Conan O’Brien.
Sam, played by Reedus, is immediately recognisable as a stalwart archetype of late 2000s videogames: a lonely, gruff man with a murky (or completely forgotten) past, whose closest companion is an orphaned child (in this case, a literal fetus in a jar). See: BioShock, The Last of Us and The Witcher, the latter two of which were also adapted into screen narratives.
Death Stranding was originally launched for the PlayStation 4 in November 2019. A sequel, entitled Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, is due to launch for the PlayStation 5 this June (and will reportedly feature Mad Max director George Miller in a cameo).
ScreenHub: Monopoly on Netflix: why the ‘landlord’s game’ is getting its own competitive reality TV series
Why is A24 making a film about Death Stranding?
Death Stranding is a game with a classic hero’s journey, a linear-type narrative that’s easily adaptable into film form. What’s more, it’s been played by more than 19 million people worldwide, meaning it already has a substantial audience to tap into.
The game was developed by Japanese game designer Hideo Kojima, a self-described cinephile who often posts on social media about the films and TV series he watches. ‘70% of my body is made of movies,’ reads his Twitter profile. One imagines it would be easy to pitch a man like Kojima about a feature film adaptation of Death Stranding by of the United State’s most renowned modern production houses.
The film will make A24’s first foray into video game adaptations, which should be interesting to see given the company’s reputation for producing independent, original horror and arthouse films.
ScreenHub: A Minecraft Movie: why kids are losing their blocks over this massive meme-able film
Who is directing the Death Stranding movie?
Per Deadline, US director Michael Sarnoski is confirmed to be both writing and directing the Death Stranding adaptation, with A24 and Kojima Productions producing alongside Square Peg (Lars Knudsen and Ari Aster’s production house).
Sarnoski is known for directing the critically acclaimed 2021 breakout Pig. The film starred Nicolas Cage, and was successful enough to land him the gig of directing A Quiet Place spinoff, A Quiet Place: Day One.
Sarnoski has just recently finished directing Death of Robin Hood at A24, a dark adventure flick starring Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer.
Will the original actors be involved in the movie?
Given the game’s already very cinematic cut scenes and emotive animations that hauntingly replicate the look of each actor, it seems like a no-brainer to involve the original cast. But it is not yet known whether or not Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Margaret Qualley, Guillermo Del Toro and the vast cast of cameo actors will appear in the Death Stranding movie.
As this is announced, Metal Gear Solid, a previously confirmed Hideo Kojima movie project, is still being worked on, despite the lack of updates (as reported in IGN).
The Death Stranding movie does not yet have a release date.
