Raised by Wolves creator Aaron Guzikowski is penning an animated film set in the world of Death Stranding.
Last month, the game’s creator Hideo Kojima casually confirmed a Death Stranding anime was in the works, separate from the previously announced live-action film. Now, we have more details on the project, thanks to Deadline.
The publication reports this animated film will be adult-targeted, citing both the recently announced John Wick animated prequel and sci-fi horror Predator: Killer of Killers as examples of what viewers can expect, and feature an original story set within the Death Stranding world.
“I love the world of Death Stranding, it’s so creatively freeing, so beautifully dark and yet hopeful; I’m so excited and honoured that Hideo Kojima, whose work I’ve long admired, has invited me to dwell within his creation, to birth new stories into this fertile, mind-bending universe,” Guzikowski said of his involvement.
“Drawing and animation have always been near and dear to my heart, so to finally get to play in this space is a dream come true.”
Along with Raised by Wolves, which stars Assassin’s Creed Origins actor Abubakar Salim, Guzikowski is also known for writing the 2013 film Prisoners.
Joining Guzikowski and Kojima on this particular Death Stranding film is LA-based animation and post-production house Line Mileage. Line Mileage exec Daniel Dominguez called Death Stranding “the most cinematic, thought-provoking video game” he has ever played, adding this project is “a dream come true”.
“Playing it gave me the same emotional rush, visceral punch, and intellectual pleasure I had the first time I watched Blade Runner, or Ghost in the Shell. Adapting it into a form it so naturally evokes is an honour,” Dominguez said.
As for the live-action film adaptation, Kojima announced his company was partnering with A24 in December 2023. A24 is the production and distribution company behind the likes of Everything Everywhere All At One and Hereditary, so it sounds like a good match for Kojima.
More recently, it was reported A Quiet Place: Day One’s Michael Sarnoski was attached to write and direct the Death Stranding adaptation.