Hideo Kojima Introduced Norman Reedus to CHAINSAW MAN, and It Sounds Like a Live-Action Adaptation Could Be on His Radar

The legendary game creator, Hideo Kojima, has built a reputation for sharing his favorite movies, TV shows, books, and anime with fans. It turns out one of those recommendations may have sparked a potential new project for his longtime collaborator, Norman Reedus.

During a recent interview with GQ Hong Kong, The Walking Dead star was asked if he was into anime. Reedus immediately brought up one title that was introduced to him by Kojima while working together on Death Stranding.

He responded: "There's Chainsaw Man, which Hideo Kojima told me about. He said it was his favorite."

That recommendation apparently stuck with Reedus. Not only did he check out the massively popular manga and anime series, but it sounds like he may have started looking at it through the lens of a producer as well.

Reedus went on to explain: "I went around Tokyo looking for the [manga], 'cause I have a production company and I was looking for cool things to make. I got a lot of street cred for knowing Chainsaw Man."

That comment is what makes this especially interesting. Reedus was actively searching for material while exploring potential projects for his production company. While he stopped short of saying he's pursuing a live-action adaptation, it's easy to connect the dots.

Created by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Chainsaw Man follows Denji, a struggling young man who merges with his chainsaw-devil companion Pochita and gains the ability to transform parts of his body into chainsaws.

The series exploded in popularity thanks to its wild action, dark humor, unpredictable storytelling, and surprisingly emotional character arcs. It later became one of anime's biggest breakout hits with MAPPA's acclaimed adaptation.

Whether Reedus was seriously exploring adaptation rights remains unclear. But if Reedus is looking for unique genre properties to bring to life, Chainsaw Man certainly qualifies.

The challenge would be translating Fujimoto's chaotic, bloody, and often bizarre world into live-action without losing the energy that made it such a phenomenon in the first place.

For now, there's no official live-action Chainsaw Man movie in development involving Reedus. But after hearing his comments, it's hard not to imagine what a project like that could look like.