Death Stranding getting movie adaptation

The Hideo Kojima game joins a long list of recent video game stories making their way into movies, TV shows, and more

Famed video game developer Hideo Kojima has not been shy about his desire to produce movies in the past, and it seems like he’s finally getting his wish, with his latest game about to be turned into a feature film.

A new report from Deadline has confirmed that a new movie is in production based on the incredibly popular Death Stranding by Hideo Kojima’s Kojima Productions. It will be co-produced by Kojima Productions and Hammerstone Studios.

Hammerstone Studios has previously worked on smaller-scale productions such as 2022’s Barbarian, 2020’s Bill & Ted Face the Music, and the upcoming Kung Fury 2. The new Death Stranding film will reportedly be financed entirely by Hammerstone.

No writers, directors, or cast have been attached to the film as of yet, but Deadline says that the film is “on the fast track”, and development is already underway.

Death Stranding 2 was announced at The Game Awards last week, with a bizarre trailer that brought up more questions than it answered. Hideo Kojima said that he rewrote the entire story of the upcoming game after living through the Covid-19 pandemic.

Death Stranding 2 was announced at the 2022 Game Awards with a strange trailer and very few details. Picture: Kojima Productions

Kojima says that he’s excited to expand on Death Stranding’s universe with the new film, which will reportedly feature “new elements and characters” within the game’s universe. This suggests it might be more of an additive experience to the Death Stranding franchise, rather than a simple retelling of the story like some other adaptations.

“I couldn’t be more excited about this new partnership with Hammerstone Studios,” Kojima said in a statement, “This is a pivotal moment for the franchise and I’m really looking forward to collaborating with them in bringing Death Stranding to the big screen”.

Hammerstone Studios founder Alex Lebovici said that, unlike some other video game adaptations, the Death Stranding movie will be “far more intimate and grounded”. The aim is reportedly to “redefine” what a video game movie could be, with Lebovici adding that it will be “an authentic Hideo Kojima production”.

Hideo Kojima rose to prominence for his work on the classic stealth game Metal Gear Solid. Picture: Sony

The film joins a recent flurry of video game adaptations across film, TV, and even radio dramas. Classic Ubisoft franchise Splinter Cell was announced to be getting a surprising adaptation in the form of an eight-part radio drama for the BBC.

This week also brought news that Amazon was making a live-action God of War show, to be available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video. The series will reportedly be based on 2018’s soft reboot of the games’ story, which was developed by Sony Santa Monica and received widespread acclaim for its storytelling and world design.

Written by Oliver Brandt on behalf of GLHF.