The Death Stranding Video Game Cast Might Not Reprise Their Roles in the Live-Action Film

Hideo Kojima has further elaborated on his plans for theDeath Stranding movie adaptation, hinting that Norman Reedus may not necessarily return as series protagonist Sam Porter Bridges.

The bombshell came in an interview withIGNduring a visit to Kojima’s newKojima Productions studio. When asked whether the film adaptation could see an appearance from Sam and the rest of the game’s cast, Kojima seemed to shoot down the idea claiming that the pitfalls of videogame adaptations are that they cater too much to gamers:

Kojima casts doubt on Norman Reedus in Death Stranding Movie

We haven’t quite decided that yet. The failure of film adaptations of games from a while back has led to a lot of movies that cater to gamers, right? That’s why they have the same kind of look as a game. I don’t want the Death Stranding movie to be like that. Rather, I’m taking the approach of changing and evolving the world of Death Stranding in a way that suits film well. I made Death Stranding to be a game, and games are games. There’s no real need to turn them into films

This news may come as quite a surprise who thought that Norman Reedus would naturally continue the role of Sam in the transition from the games to film. Kojima, though, seems to have very different plans for the movie adaptation, with plans for an “arthouse approach” going on to praise his collaborators Hammerstone Studios and Alex Lobovici for sharing his vision.

Image Source: Amazon Studios

It’s not all bad news, though, for fans of Sam and Norman Reedus, who will be making his return inDeath Stranding 2, as revealed in the debut trailer shown at the Game Awards. Kojima further mentions plans for that game, explaining that the script underwent significant rewrites and will now implement new themes to reflect living through the Covid-19 pandemic.

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