Hideo Kojima Says His DEATH STRANDING Movie Will Take a "Different Direction Nobody Has Tried Before"

Hideo Kojima is in the process of developing a feature film adaptation of his hit sci-fi video game Death Stranding. Kojima Productions partnered with Alex Lebovici’s Hammerstone Studios (Barbarian) to develop and produce the film.

It was originally revealed that the plan is to expand the universe by introducing new elements and characters into the movie. Kojima is now offering some additional insights on how the film project initially came together and his vision for it saying that he’s not setting out to make a blockbuster-sized movie. He said:

“I was on video calls with lots of people in Hollywood every week beginning last year, and not just for Death Stranding. I received a lot of offers, but my intention from the start was never to make a blockbuster film. Alex Lebovici from Hammerstone Studios shared my vision with regards to that. There were a lot of pitches to make a large-scale movie with famous actors and flashy explosions, but what good would explosions be in Death Stranding? Making money isn't something I'm focused on at all, either. I'm aiming for a more arthouse approach, and the only person who offered to make a film like that was Alex Lebovici, which makes me think he's a rather unusual type.”

He went on to say that the movie most likely won’t have a lot in common with the story we saw in the game. When asked if he’s made any decisions about whether characters from the game, like Sam, will make an appearance in the film and he said they “haven't quite decided that yet.” He then talked about the failures of other video game movies and how this Death Stranding adaptation will take a “direction that nobody has ever tried before” with a video game movie.

“The failure of film adaptations of games from a while back has led to a lot of movies that cater to gamers, right? That's why they have the same kind of look as a game. I don't want the Death Stranding movie to be like that. Rather, I'm taking the approach of changing and evolving the world of Death Stranding in a way that suits film well. I made Death Stranding to be a game, and games are games. There's no real need to turn them into films. So in a way, the Death Stranding movie is taking a direction that nobody has tried before with a movie adaptation of a game. I think that what I need to make is something that will inspire some of the people who watch it to become creators 10 or 20 years down the line.”

Death Stranding is still in the very early stages of development, but reading these comments from Kojima definitely got me excited to see what he and his creative team are going to deliver!

The original game “challenges players to reconnect a fractured society after the cataclysmic ‘Death Stranding’ event. This has opened a doorway between the living and the dead, leading to creatures from the afterlife roaming the fallen world marred by a desolate society. Carrying the disconnected remnants of humanity’s future in his hands, players embody Sam Bridges as he embarks on a mission to deliver hope to humanity by connecting the last survivors of a decimated America.”

The game stars Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Guillermo del Toro, and Margaret Qualley. 

What do you think about what Kojima is looking to do with the film adaptation!?