While the June 26 release date for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is slowly creeping up on us, Kojima has now also confirmed that an anime based on the Death Stranding series is in production. In an interview with Vogue Japan (via VGC), Kojima spoke about wanting to expand Death Stranding across various mediums, including live-action movies.
“I am currently working with A24 on a live-action film adaptation of Death Stranding,” Kojima said. “When it comes to adapting games into visual media, there are works like The Last of Us, which stays true to the original storyline, and films like The Super Mario Bros Movie which are more of a service to fans of the game.”
Kojima describes his desire to branch out into doing a live-action film adaptation of Death Stranding as him wanting to pursue what he refers to as the “expressive potential” of the medium. He also has lofty goals for this film adaptation, saying that he would want to make it well enough that it wins awards at film festivals.
“While these works have their own merits, as a film enthusiast, I want to pursue the expressive potential of cinema. I aim to create a Death Stranding that can only be realised through film, one that could win awards at festivals like the Cannes Film Festival or the Venice Film Festival,” he said. “In fact, we are also currently working on an anime adaptation.”
In his radio show, Kojima has in the past referred to an anime adaptation of Death Stranding as being the “phase 2” for Kojima Productions. He described phase 1 as being to develop a unique IP and its sequel – which we are getting with Death Stranding and Death Stranding 2: On the Beach – while phase 2 would be to create an anime based on the unique IP created in phase 1.
Earlier this month, Kojima also spoke about how the story in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach will include themes of fatherhood, albeit in a different direction than how similar themes were expressed in the Metal Gear franchise. He also revealed that the loss of his father at a young age influenced the stories and themes of the Metal Gear franchise quite a bit.
“The loss of my father was a major theme in the Metal Gear series,” Kojima explained. “Those games explore the theme of how you surpass your parents. Death Stranding looks in the other direction: you assume the parent’s perspective, looking toward the child.”
As for how these themes will show up in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, Kojima said that it will be explored in the relationship between protagonist Sam Porter Bridges and his adopted child Lou.
“You think you know everything about your son, but there are some things that you don’t,” Kojima continued. “In the first Death Stranding, Sam travels together with Lou, but he doesn’t interrogate who Lou is very much. In the sequel, that has changed. It’s like how an adoptive parent might not know everything about their child. They might have questions. That’s the emotion I wanted to elicit.”
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is coming exclusively to PS5.
