Last December it was announced that vaunted video game designer Hideo Kojima would be working with indie film studio A24 — the entertainment company behind such films as Everything Everywhere All At Once, Civil War and Uncut Gems — on a live-action Death Stranding film.
In a recent interview with Japanese publication Famitsu, Kojima explains why he went with A24 for the Death Stranding movie instead of a bigger studio, asserting that he didn’t want Death Stranding to be a typical Hollywood action film with “lots of explosions.”
Kojima states that although he did receive offers to make Death Stranding into an expensive blockbuster movie, he’d rather do “something different with A24” that is better suited to the story-rich, stealth-centric gameplay of the Playstation title.
Death Stranding/Kojima Productions
“I have no intention of directing it myself, so I am involved with the producer in terms of the plot, etc,” Kojima told Famitsu.
“The other film companies that had approached me had mostly offered to make it with a big budget and lots of explosions’, but I didn’t want that. I want to make a slightly different kind of film with A24.”
Kojima joked that because his birthday is August 24th, it was a clear, prophetic sign that A24 was the studio to go with for the Death Stranding movie. He also joked that he hoped the recent success of director Alex Garland’s Civil War (Garland is speculated to be a heavy favorite to direct Death Stranding as well) won’t have an adverse effect on Death Stranding budget-wise.
“Alex made Civil War a big hit, so I feel that A24 is raising the budget for Death Stranding and making it a big production, so I’m trying to figure out how to keep the budget down,” Kojima said jokingly.
Kojima’s statements fall in line with what he’s said previously about the film, such as when he spoke with Deadline when the film was first announced and said he wanted it to take more of “an arthouse approach” in terms of cinematic impact.
“A24 was born into this world about 10 years ago, their presence is singular within the industry, they are like no other,” Kojima said previously. “The films they are delivering to the world are high in quality and very innovative.
Fragile in Death Strading, protrayed by actress Lea Seydoux/Kojima Productions
“There are a lot of ‘game adaptation films’ out there but what we are creating is not just a direct translation of the game,” Kojima continued. “The intention is that our audience will not only be fans of the games, but our film will be for anyone who loves cinema.”
Death Stranding 2, the sequel to the first game, is Kojima’s next project aside from his collaborative efforts on the film. The trailer for the sequel was shown at the 2022 Game Awards. Although actor Norman Reedus will reprise his role as Sam for the game, it will be Lea Seydoux’s Fragile who will play a much more substantial role in the sequel than she did in the first. Death Stranding 2 is set to release sometime in 2025.
What are your thoughts on what was said when Hideo Kojima explains why he went with A24 for the Death Stranding movie instead of a bigger studio? Let us know in the comments.
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