Kojima Productions and Sony Interactive Entertainment's Death Stranding is being developed into an anime. While we don't have specifics right now, game director Hideo Kojima confirmed that an adaptation is currently planned.
The 2019 action adventure game is already getting a live-action film adaptation, which is being developed by Kojima Productions in collaboration with the independent film studio A24. Speaking to Vogue Japan, Kojima also briefly mentioned plans for an anime adaptation.
"I am also currently working with A24 on a live-action film adaptation of 'DEATH STRANDING". When it comes to film adaptations of games, there have been recent films like 'The Last of Us' that keep the plot of the original intact, and films like 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' that are more like a service to game fans. Each of these works has its own merits, but as a film lover, I want to pursue expression as a film. I am aiming to make 'DEATH STRANDING' in a way that can only be done as a film, and that will win awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival. In fact, we are also currently working on an anime adaptation."
Kojima has previously mentioned the possibility of expanding the Death Stranding franchise into anime, but this is the first time he's formally confirmed it. Specific details, such as the production studio, release date, and narrative focus, were not revealed, which suggests such a project is still a ways off.
In the meantime, fans can look forward to the upcoming sequel game, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, which is due to release on June 26, 2025. The live-action movie, which is being directed by Micahel Sarnoski (Pig, A Quiet Place: Day One), is slated to release in 2027. Like the anime project, we still don't have specific plot details for the live-action movie.
At this point, it's clear that Kojima has big plans to expand upon the world of Death Stranding. What's unclear is if these stories will involve all new characters. Kojrim has previouslys tated that the movie will not be a "direct translation of the game," but that doesn't necessarily rule out a story revolving around familiar characters.
Actor Norman Reedus, who portrays Sam Porter Bridges in both games, has expressed his desire to return to the role in a live-action movie should it allow for it. Presumably, other actors from the games would also return to reprise their roles.
Released in 2019, Death Stranding is set in the United States following a cataclysmic event. Reedus plays Sam, a courier tasked with delivering supplies to isolated colonies and reconnecting them via a wireless communications network known as the Chiral Network.
Death Stranding was met with mostly positive reviews, though there were parts of the game, particularly its unconventional gameplay, that divided players. Many wrote the game off as a "walking simulator," since it largely involved traversing long distances to deliver cargo. Of course, anyone who played the game in full knew there was more action and deeper gameplay mechanics that opened up as you progressed through the story.