Looks like Death Stranding isn’t only heading to live-action, but anime as well. In a new article ahead of June’s Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, director Hideo Kojima has seemingly confirmed an anime adaptation of Death Stranding is on the way.
Speaking to Vogue Japan (via VGC), Kojima mentioned his current collaboration with A24 on the live-action Death Stranding film adaptation, but closed off with a little extra note about an anime in the works. Here’s the quote, via machine translation:
“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.”
While no production studio was confirmed, it does certainly sound like Death Stranding has another adaptation on the way, in anime form.
In 2023, A24 officially confirmed it was collaborating with Kojima Productions and its director on a live-action Death Stranding movie. At the time, Kojima said the adaptation was not just a “direct translation” of the game. “The intention is that our audience will not only be fans of the games, but our film will be for anyone who loves cinema,” said Kojima. “We are creating a Death Stranding universe that has never been seen before, achievable only through the medium of film, it will be born.”
Earlier this year, A Quiet Place: Day One director Michael Sarnoski reportedly signed on to write and direct the Death Stranding adaptation. Death Stranding Star Norman Reedus has said he would “of course” play himself in the movie “if it was an option.”
With another adaptation on the way, I’m admittedly curious to see what could be done with Death Stranding in the anime space. Depending on which studio picks it up, we could get some different and interesting versions of the Death Stranding universe. It’s pretty fun to imagine a Studio Trigger-made Death Stranding, for example.
Meanwhile, in the video game world, Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is due out on June 26, 2025 for the PlayStation 5. If you’re curious about how the next entry in Death Stranding is coming together, check out our hands-on impressions of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach after a whopping 30 hours with the game.
Eric is a freelance writer for IGN.
