The era of the video game adaptation has seemingly hit Hollywood. No studio is immune to its reach, not even the much-loved, small-scale A24. Often known for its horror pictures and low-budget, risky storytelling, the production house has decided to move towards more franchise fare. While it is A24 that has signed up to develop Elden Ring, a massive video game franchise unto itself, the studio has also been tasked with developing Death Stranding.
With Kojima Productions firmly a part of these collaborations, players should at least rest easy knowing that the team is looking to be as accurate to the source material as possible. Naturally, the Sony and Kojima video game will be the most important influence on the adaptation. However, there are wider genre pieces that are set to inspire the feature. Death Stranding looks to be combining two key franchises.
Death Stranding Takes Clear Influence From Its Genre
The upcoming adventure title, Death Stranding, has a premise that leans heavily into two familiar worlds. That of Blade Runner and The Last of Us. Both hold an interesting link to the original video game and, indeed, this variation on the concept. While there will be more later about the video game itself, it’s hard to overlook these very obvious points of connection. The most logical place to start is with The Last of Us, a video game in its own right which was adapted to the screen by HBO. While this concept took the form of a TV show, there are still plenty of crossovers between the two projects.
For starters, The Last of Us consists of two games, much like Death Stranding. It also features a rather desolate and desperate road, pulling imagery akin to other apocalyptic pieces such as The Road. Both Death Stranding and The Last of Us are about journeys. While the latter focuses on Joel and Ellie looking for some semblance of safety, Death Stranding follows a courier, delivering important items. In each instance, the leads are pursued by militaristic groups too, creating the same dangerous tensions. Thematically, those parallels demonstrate that if The Last of Us works on screen, so too will Death Stranding.
The video game and, of course, the film adaptation, also pull from wider science fiction lore. Philip K. Dick is one of the most influential authors in the industry. His work has gone on to shape inspired-by projects like Westworld, while his novels were adapted as Blade Runner, Electric Dreams, Minority Report, and The Adjustment Bureau. His world-building has always been rich, but it has also been consistent. The author continues to trace the dangers of technology, the impact of authoritarian regimes, and worlds that have been shaped by devastating events.
There is a cyberpunk aesthetic to Blade Runner, which is slightly replicated with Death Stranding’s own take on a bleak future, while many of those same ideas, about humanity on the brink of collapse, are explored within Death Stranding’s runtime. The melancholy of the movie, coupled with Kojima’s own interest in the initial audience reaction to a story of such despair, weighs heavily on Death Stranding’s shoulders. This adaptation may just be the next major genre piece, not just as a video game adaptation, but also as a continuation of classic sci-fi tropes taken to their next logical conclusion.
Death Stranding Has Established A Rich World
There may be some readers of this analysis who are not familiar with the world of Death Stranding and what it has brought to the video game world. The word that most players would associate with the project is prestige. Much like an HBO feature, or the quality of Blade Runner 2049, Death Stranding has been shaped by a visionary director, a stellar cast, and a moving narrative arc. The fact that talent such as Margaret Qualley, Mads Mikkelsen, and Norman Reedus are so integral to the title speaks to its cinematic quality.
It is that very approach to the material that makes Death Stranding such a notable fit for the big screen. Just like The Last of Us, there is a more narrative-focused, character-led approach to the storytelling. It’s not all about fetch quests and puzzle-solving. What’s more, visually, Death Stranding has taken some major swings in its universe. It is a bleak but recognizable world which is constantly changing and one that players are undoubtedly excited to see adapted to a new medium. It is that structure that makes this such an easy sell for audiences. The Last of Us had those same positive traits and moved from one platform to another with ease.
A video game, much like a movie, is so much more than its visuals and its narrative. What Death Stranding has working in its favor is an incredible score, fantastic wider concept art, and detailed lore-building. While the music and concepts will go a long way to building a new landscape for audiences to enjoy, it is the lore that is most intriguing here. Blade Runner was always able to pull fans in further, with a peek behind the curtain. How that world operated was fascinating. Death Stranding has been able to mimic that same hypnotism.
All of that is only further cemented by the fact that Death Stranding does have a sequel, just like The Last of Us and Blade Runner. If a follow-up is able to match the quality of the original, while demonstrating that there are still more opportunities to expand the story, then it’s evident that there is so much more that can be achieved. It shouldn’t be shocking that A24 is interested in Death Stranding because of its wider franchise appeal and the accolades given to the sequel, which many believe to be a superior hit. With an anime on the way too, there is so much to draw from.
The Death Stranding Film Has Every Chance Of Success
It is worth pointing out that the video game’s influence isn’t quite as impactful as one might think on the movie adaptation, though. While the music and the visuals and the world-building and the legacy of Death Stranding and its sequel are all very important, the film adaptation isn’t traditional at all. In fact, it is an original narrative, set in the world of Death Stranding, which will be further elevated by those video games. One feeds into the other, with A24 creating new arcs, just as was the case in the wider Blade Runner universe.
Death Stranding is in active development right now, with A24 moving forward with the script. It seems it is set to start shooting in 2027, which will mean a potential 2028 release date. However, there is no rush on the project, considering news is still thin on the ground on Death Stranding 3, which will undoubtedly be announced or timed for release around the same time, for more project unity. What also isn’t clear is whether there will be any returning cast members, considering these concepts are so tied together.
Norman Reedus’ return feels like a certainty, considering the performer’s importance to the franchise. If A24 wants to go in an entirely new direction, though, then Reedus might only feature briefly, much like Harrison Ford in Blade Runner 2049. However, there are a couple of key details that have been confirmed. Firstly, Michael Sarnoski will be both writing and directing the feature. He is perhaps best known for his work on Pig and A Quiet Place: Day One. Secondly, Hideo Kojima himself is acting as a very active collaborator here. Production house Square Peg, of Lars Knudsen and Ari Aster, will also be involved in the project.
Outside of that, it seems Death Stranding’s eventual return to the screen is still being kept tightly under wraps. To get a thematic sense of the direction it is heading, audiences need to play the two games and enjoy both The Last of Us and Blade Runner. Since this will serve as an original story, those sci-fi gems are perhaps even more likely to be drawn in as influences, especially if the film is set during a different era of the timeline. Regardless, thematically, these big ideas of human evolution, loss, creativity, and connection are undoubtedly going to be at the heart of the script.
Death Stranding
- Writers
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Hideo Kojima
- Producers
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Hideo Kojima, Allan Ungar
- Franchise(s)
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Death Stranding
