Sam Porter Bridges’s workload is about to get even heavier. In a recent interview with Vogue Japan about the live-action A24 film based on his popular video game, Death Stranding, creator Hideo Kojima casually mentioned that the title would be getting an anime adaptation, as well. He didn’t share any other details beyond the confirmation, though the news came amid a larger discussion about his ambitions for crossing his game into other media and how the film will compare to recent adaptations. In general, he wants both projects to defy the typical conventions, with the big-screen take telling his story “in a way that can only be done as a film.”
Kojima has expressed interest in the past about turning to anime to flesh out his independent Kojima Productions‘ cross-media empire. When speaking to Variety last September, he listed the medium alongside movies as part of his “third phase“ for expanding his IP for a global audience. An anime spin on Sam’s desolate world means fans will be seeing a lot of Death Stranding in the coming years, between the film, directed by A Quiet Place: Day One‘s Michael Sarnoski, and this year’s video game sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, landing on consoles and PC on June 26. Regarding adapting his unique action-adventure title across multiple projects, the translated Vogue Japan interview with Kojima reads:
“I am also currently working with A24 on a live-action film adaptation of Death Stranding. When it comes to film adaptations of games, there have been recent films like The Last of Us that keep the plot of the original intact, and films like The Super Mario Bros. Movie that are more like a service to game fans. Each of these works has its own merits, but as a film lover, I want to pursue expression as a film. I am aiming to make Death Stranding in a way that can only be done as a film, and that will win awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival. In fact, we are also currently working on an anime adaptation.”
What Is ‘Death Stranding’ About?
Released back in 2019, Death Stranding was a massive hit for Kojima, winning Game of the Year and reaching over 20 million players as of last month. The story unfolds in a future where a catastrophic event known as the Death Stranding has created an opening between the land of the living and the dead, welcoming nightmarish creatures that decimate a crumbling and increasingly fractured world. At its center is Sam, a porter charged with delivering supplies to and reconnecting settlements throughout the United Cities of America, made of the remnants of what once was the United States. Sam was played by The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus, who led a cast packed with star power, including Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Margaret Qualley, Tommie Earl Jenkins, Troy Baker, Lindsay Wagner, Guillermo del Toro, and Nicolas Winding Refn.
While there have been rumors swirling about the A24 adaptation’s cast, nothing has been confirmed yet. The film is still a ways off from hitting the big screen, and it’s only one of several exciting projects Kojima has in the works. At The Game Awards in 2023, the legendary developer announced an experimental new horror project called OD, which pairs him with modern horror auteur Jordan Peele. Little is known about the project, which Kojima hailed as a “new form of media,” and previewed with a teaser that featured the likes of Hunter Schafer, Sophia Lillis, and Udo Kier.
via Collider