Death Stranding movie director is being given 'a lot of freedom' to tell 'standalone' story separate from Hideo Kojima video game franchise 'I like things where it could be easy to miss the mark'

Date:
Thu, 03 Sep 2026 16:45:08 +0000

Description:
A24 meets Hideo Kojima in the upcoming movie version of video game series Death Stranding but its director is being given 'a lot of freedom'.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Does every existing IP need a movie adaptation? The answer is no, of course, but I'm quietly confident in the upcoming live-action version of hit Hideo Kojima franchise, Death Stranding .

Why? Well, let's start with the concept. In the game, courier Sam must reconnect a broken America after an apocalyptic event merged the worlds of
the living and the dead. Add in distributor A24 and the man who directed Pig and The Death of Robin Hood which is now in UK cinemas after its June US release and you've surely got gold. However, there's one immediate snag. While we don't know much, we do know that the new movie won't follow the same premise as the existing Death Stranding games . Latest Videos From TechRadar Watch full video here:

In fact, according to director Michael Sarnoski, not only is it a standalone movie, but will be made with a lot of creative freedom and something about the way he explains this makes me nervous. 'I need the space to find authorship and find the things that I really believe in' Death Stranding - Launch Trailer | PS4 - YouTube Watch On "I actually like to make things difficult for myself," Sarnoski tells me. "I like to do projects where the initial instinct is 'Oof, that could be a really bad idea.' Another Robin
Hood movie? A prequel to a horror franchise? I like things where it could be easy to miss the mark." You may like Inside Story Kitchen, the trail-blazing studio that fought the 'videogame adaptation curse' and won Hideo Kojima describes Sony's decision to end physical games as 'scary', warns that you 'won't own the data' 'There's a server somewhere, and you only have the
right to turn on the tap' 'We want an experience that is close to a pen-and-paper RPG' The Blood of Dawnwalker director says the game's big choices will offer more player freedom and 'boost immersion'

This in itself is a concerning statement. I prefer it when my movie directors don't go into an adaptation thinking that things could potentially go
horribly wrong. Whatever happened to positive mental attitude?

"I like the challenge," he continues. "I like finding the humanity in things that otherwise could not work. On Death Stranding , they're giving me a lot
of freedom to tell the story that I want to tell separate from the core video game stories. It's its own standalone thing. I need the space to find authorship and find the things that I really believe in... I'm really excited about it." Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Playing devil's advocate here, creative freedom could be a good thing. If
fans expect a movie to replicate its original source material exactly, nobody ends up winning. But with so few details to go on, we've got to keep our fingers crossed that good decisions are made in the meantime.

But is Sarnoski concerned about appealing to existing fanbases, or is he
happy to stick to his guns? "A little bit of both," he responds. "I feel the pressure, but I have to set that aside and focus on what creatively excites me. I can't make stuff as a reaction to what I think someone else wants it has to come from a place of love and fascination."

Make of that what you will, folks... and watch this space. Follow TechRadar
on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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