It has just been a few weeks since we learned of an animated adaptation of Kojima Productions‘ Death Stranding, and the project now has a writer attached to it. Raised by Wolves‘ Aaron Guzikowski will lend his talents to the screenplay, which will be an original story set in the same universe as the games.
This differs from the live-action film that is being headed up by the folks at A24 and director Michael Sarnoski. If we are not going to be following in the footsteps of Norman Reedus’ Sam Bridges, the interesting routes this adaptation can take are endless. At the very least, the more adult-oriented take will give it more room to explore heavier themes.
After all, this is now a series that touches upon the concept of dying and being alive, stillborn babies and pregnancy scares, just to name a few. What else the filmmakers can do to flesh it out will be the key to creating engaging cinema beyond the games.
“I love the world of Death Stranding, it’s so creatively freeing, so beautifully dark and yet hopeful; I’m so excited and honored that Hideo Kojima, whose work I’ve long admired, has invited me to dwell within his creation, to birth new stories into this fertile, mind-bending universe,” said Guzikowski in a statement together with animation company Line Mileage. “Drawing and animation have always been near and dear to my heart, so to finally get to play in this space is a dream come true.”
“As an avid gamer, I can say, unequivocally, Death Stranding is the most cinematic, thought-provoking video game I have ever played,” added Line Mileage CCO Daniel Dominguez, “Playing it gave me the same emotional rush, visceral punch, and intellectual pleasure I had the first time I watched Blade Runner, or Ghost in the Shell. Adapting it into a form it so naturally evokes is an honour.”
Other than the two films, there is also the sequel coming out real soon. Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will release on June 26 exclusively for the PlayStation 5. There is also a new themed DualSense for fans to add to their collection.
