The upcoming live-action Death Stranding movie is being directed by Michael Sarnoski, but that wasn’t always a guarantee. Noah Sacco, the head of films at A24, said in an interview that he originally approached game director and writer Hideo Kojima for the job.
“Are you sure you don’t want to direct?” Sacco recalled saying to Kojima in an interview with The New Yorker.
That’s all Sacco had to say on the matter, so we don’t know what the conversation between the film boss and Kojima might have included, or how Kojima may have responded to that question. In any event, Kojima is not directing the movie.
Sarnoski earned acclaim for directing the Nicolas Cage movie Pig. He also directed 2024’s A Quiet Place: Day One. In addition to Death Stranding, Sarnoski is attached to direct The Death of Robin Hood, which stars Hugh Jackman as Robin Hood.
Sarnoski, in addition to directing the Death Stranding movie, is writing the film. While Kojima is not writing or directing the Death Stranding movie, his company, Kojima Productions, is producing.
Kojima said the Death Stranding movie is not “just a direct translation of the game.” Instead, the film aims to appeal to fans of the game and “anyone who loves cinema.”
It’s still early days for the Death Stranding movie and there is no word yet on a cast or a release date. Norman Reedus, who plays main character Sam in the Death Stranding games, has said he’s open to returning for the movie. A Death Stranding animated movie is also in the works, as part of the bigger Death Stranding universe.
As for the game series, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach came out in June, and while Kojima has ideas for Death Stranding 3, he doesn’t plan to make it himself. Kojima is also working on the games OD and Physint.
A24 is also producing the Elden Ring movie, which is being directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Alex Garland. Sacco said Garland was so enthusiastic about making the movie that he came to Sacco with a 160-page draft of a script, plus 40 more pages of imagery. Sacco said that Garland replied, “F**k yeah” when Sacco approached him to direct the Elden Ring movie.
