A24 has confirmed a partnership with Kojima Productions and Hammerstone Studios for the production of the live-action Death Stranding movie adaptation first announced in 2022. While originally revealed with only Hammerstone Studios aboard, it appears A24 will now also step in for production duties, with the Hammerstone team remaining as co-financiers and executive producers (per Deadline).
Given the surreal nature of Death Stranding, a partnership with A24 makes a whole lot of sense for Kojima Productions. The company has become known, in recent years, for producing and distributing an array of alternative films (Midsommar, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Pearl) with bold, occasionally surreal narratives, and plenty to say about the human condition. It has also developed a reputation for distributing high-quality, arthouse films.
Death Stranding could certainly benefit from the A24 touch, with the company seemingly having a unique understanding of what makes films compelling, and how to maximise lower-budget properties. Given franchise creator Hideo Kojima recently revealed that he intended the Death Stranding movie to be “arthouse” in nature, the partnership with A24 makes a whole lot of sense.
Read: Death Stranding movie will be ‘arthouse’, says Kojima
“A24 was born into this world about 10 years ago, their presence is singular within the industry, they are like no other,” Kojima said in the partnership announcement. “The films they are delivering to the world are high in quality and very innovative.”
“There are a lot of ‘game adaptation films’ out there but what we are creating is 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. We are creating a Death Stranding universe that has never been seen before, achievable only through the medium of film, it will be born.”
“I have been attracted to their creations and they have even inspired my own work. Their innovative approach to storytelling aligns with what Kojima Productions has been doing for the last 8 years. Now, we are making a Death Stranding movie together.”
To celebrate the partnership, A24 has released Death Stranding-inspired A24 logo t-shirts – plain black, with strands dripping from each white letter.
While we still don’t know much about the upcoming Death Stranding film adaptation, with Hideo Kojima and A24 driving its creative vision, there is much hope it will be yet another film to escape the “video game adaptation curse”. We look forward to hearing more about this partnership.
