For viewers who are easily put off by graphic content, there’s some reassurance: the live-action film adaptation of Death Stranding won’t mirror the same intensity of violence seen in director Michael Sarnoski’s earlier work. Still, he emphasizes that it will honor the video game’s “bleak and desolate post-apocalyptic setting.”
Speaking with GamesRadar, Sarnoski—also behind 2024’s A Quiet Place: Day One—outlined what he envisions for the upcoming Death Stranding movie, while also discussing his current Robin Hood project. The Robin Hood angle, it turns out, leans much darker, with multiple characters suffering injuries like arrows to the eye and other unsettling harm. For those of us who prefer to stay away from that kind of imagery, the director says that won’t be the approach taken in Death Stranding, even though some degree of brutality will remain.
“There is some level of violence involved. I mean, Death Stranding is an unforgiving world,” Sarnoski explained. “It’s a place where it feels like death could arrive at any moment. So there has to be that real sense of, ‘Oh, this might be the end.’” As a result, even if “violence and action” are set against Death Stranding’s “bleak and desolate post-apocalyptic setting,” their intent is “very distinct” from what audiences might expect in The Death of Robin Hood, which he claims “kind of interrogates” violence.
He added, “In Death Stranding, the violence and action are tied to exploration and a richer understanding of the world. So while there will be some, you won’t see a lot of jaws being severed in Death Stranding.”
In another conversation with Variety, Sarnoski shared that he has recently submitted a second draft of the Death Stranding script, with production planned to begin next year in Iceland and Northern Ireland. “This takes shape in the world of the video game, but I have my own lineup of characters,” he said. “Some familiar faces will make a strong impression for fans, but it’s very much my own story within this universe.”
Details about the live-action Death Stranding film first surfaced in 2022, when the game’s creator Hideo Kojima called it a “pivotal moment” for the franchise. The following year, he said that Kojima Productions would collaborate with A24, noting that the project would appeal to both game fans and moviegoers. “We are crafting a Death Stranding universe that has never been depicted before,” Kojima said then, “something achievable only through the art of film; it will come to life.”
Alongside the live-action adaptation, an animated Death Stranding film is also in development with Raised by Wolves creator Aaron Guzikowski. That installment is expected to be geared toward adults, with references including the John Wick animated prequel and the sci-fi horror Predator: Killer of Killers, giving audiences a sense of what to expect. Like the live-action project, it will feature a new storyline set within the Death Stranding universe and is expected to arrive on Disney Plus in 2027.