Nearly 18 months after a Death Stranding movie adaptation was confirmed to be in the works, the live-action project has reportedly got itself a writer and director – with A Quiet Place: Day One’s Michael Sarnoski at the helm.
That’s according to Deadline, which says Sarnoski – whose other directorial credits include 2021’s Nicholas Cage-starring Pig and the upcoming Death of Robin Hood – will serve as director and writer on the project, which is a joint venture between Kojima Productions and A24.
A Death Stranding movie was announced back in December 2022, when it was said to be “on the fast track with development underway”. Since then, Kojima has said he’s “aiming for a more arthouse approach” with the movie, rather than making a “blockbuster” film. A year later, he confirmed his partnership with A24 – the production and distribution company behind the likes of The Brutalist, Hereditary, Everything Everywhere All At One, and The Zone of Interest.
Beyond Sarnoski reported involvement, little has been revealed about the Death Standing movie so far. It’ll take place in the same post-apocalyptic setting as the extremely popular first game – which presumably means it’ll also features invisible creatures, rain capable of ageing anything it touches, bottled babies able to bridge the gap between life and death, a mysterious plane of existence known as the Beach – but it’s unclear if it’ll be a direct adaptation of the games or a brand-new story.
Either way, it sound like the Death Stranding movie is still some way off if it’s only just got a writer and director onboard, but it’s unlikely series fans will be too concerrnd given a fully fledged game sequel is launching very soon. As revealed last month, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach launchiens for PS5 on 25th June, and it’s got its very own fake Snake and stop-motion puppet companion.