Michael Sarnoski Says A24’s Death Stranding Movie Begins Pre-Production Soon

The live-action adaptation of Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding is getting closer to pre-production. The film is being produced by A24 in partnership with Kojima Productions.

During a conversation hosted by BAFTA, Michael Sarnoski and Jodie Comer discussed their work on the film The Death of Robin Hood. Along with that, Sarnoski shared several updates on the Death Stranding film adaptation, which he is directing.

Sarnoski revealed that pre-production for the live-action Death Stranding movie will begin soon.

Sarnoski said, “We’re going on a scout in a month to scout some cool locations [for the film].” He added, “I can tease that I’m really happy with the script and I sort of am constantly working on the script. So, it’s sort of never going to be done, but um, yeah, I can tease that I’m super excited about it and I think it’s going to be really cool and sort of I don’t know.”

Sarnoski hopes the Death Stranding movie will “really satisfy” people who have played the game. He wants the film to also work as its own emotional adventure, rather than simply recreating the game.

Sarnoski continued, “I hope it’ll be something that really satisfies people who played the game, but also like I think it’s its own sort of emotional adventure all its own that I hope people will resonate with. I know that it means a lot to me and I’m excited to dive into it.”

A24 and Kojima Productions announced the live-action Death Stranding movie in 2023. Kojima previously revealed that the project would not simply translate the game to the big screen, but would offer a new cinematic experience set within its universe. Michael Sarnoski is attached to write and direct the film.

During Kojima Productions’ 10th Anniversary event, Beyond The Strand, Michael Sarnoski and Hideo Kojima revealed that the live-action Death Stranding movie will capture the soul and themes of the game. The film will tell a new story within the Death Stranding universe rather than simply adapting the existing game. The movie will explore the game’s world through real-world locations and a large-scale cinematic scope.

Sarnoski said, “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 added, “and find all of that scope and all of those incredible real locations, but also find all of those nuanced characters and just do justice to this on a macro and micro scale.”

The original Death Stranding game, created by Hideo Kojima, was released in 2019 and featured voice and motion capture performances from Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Guillermo del Toro, and Margaret Qualley.

Set in a post-apocalyptic America, the game follows Sam Porter Bridges (Reedus), a courier tasked with delivering supplies to remote settlements known as Knot Cities. His mission is to reconnect these communities through a wireless communications network and help rebuild what remains of the United Cities of America. The sequel, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, features Reedus reprising his role as Sam Porter Bridges.

Connecting with over 16 million Porters across PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC, Death Stranding is an award-winning video game that has captivated players around the globe. Death Stranding originally launched on November 8, 2019, on PlayStation 4 and features an A-list cast including Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Guillermo del Toro, and Margaret Qualley.