The Death Stranding movie has received a new status update, offering more details about its story and character, with its biggest takeaway being the reveal that the film won't retread the events of either one of Kojima Productions' critically acclaimed games. Many unknowns about the upcoming Death Stranding project still remain.

Sam in the rain in Death Stranding 2 On The Beach

The film adaptation of Kojima Productions' post-apocalyptic series was originally announced in December 2022. Michael Sarnoski was subsequently attached to the Death Stranding movie as both a writer and director. To date, the American filmmaker has directed two feature films: the 2021 Nicolas Cage-starring drama Pig and the 2024 apocalyptic horror A Quiet Place: Day One, starring Lupita Nyong'o.

‘Unbelievable And Strange’ Hideo Kojima Says On Live-Action Death Stranding Movie

Hideo Kojima shared his thoughts about the live-action adaptation of his video game, Death Stranding.

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By Catherine Armecin Martin

Death Stranding Film Will Feature an Original Story

During the September 23 Beyond the Strand event commemorating Kojima Productions' 10th anniversary, Sarnoski appeared on stage to provide some new information about the upcoming Death Stranding film. Notably, he revealed that the movie is steering away from a direct adaptation and will instead be based on an original story. He also suggested that the screenplay will introduce an all-new character cast. "I think, with this project, we really want to capture the soul of the game, capture the themes of the game, but tell a story you haven’t seen in that world and explore characters you haven’t seen before," Sarnoski said, as reported by IGN.

Canadian filmmaker Allan Ungar is attached to the Death Stranding movie as an executive producer. Hammerstone Studios, a company founded by prolific Canadian film producer Alex Lebovici, is collaborating on the project alongside Kojima Productions. Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima remains "deeply involved" in the project, but has long known he wouldn't be directing it, having previously said he has too much on his plate to do so.

No public casting calls have yet been associated with the Death Stranding movie, suggesting that the project is still in relative infancy. Modern medium-budget sci-fi films typically take between 18 and 30 months to make it to the silver screens once pre-production starts. However, the turnaround time can be even longer, depending on the scope of test screenings and VFX requirements, among other factors.

I think, with this project, we really want to capture the soul of the game, capture the themes of the game, but tell a story you haven’t seen in that world and explore characters you haven’t seen before.

The Sarnoski-directed live-action film is separate from the franchise's animated push, which is set to kick off with the newly revealed Death Stranding: Mosquito. Produced by A24 Films (Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Lighthouse), the animated feature is directed by anime veteran Hiroshi Miyamoto. In the director's own words, Mosquito is a story about a guy who sucks. He has a tentacle-like appendage stuck to his face and appears to use it to suck something out of enemies, as revealed by a brief teaser that premiered during the Beyond the Strand event. Death Stranding: Mosquito is presently without an official release window, but the fact that it's now been revealed suggests production is already well underway, making a late 2026 or 2027 premiere possible.

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