Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding movie has found its partner studio, and it's a superb fit

Acclaimed indie movie creator A24 has been announced as the partner studio for the film adaptation of Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding videogame.

In a press release and post on the Kojima Productions website, the legendary games designer confirmed the company behind some of the 21st century's biggest hits had been chosen to co-develop the live-action feature film.

Kojima, whose credits include the hugely popular Metal Gear Solid franchise and viral demo sensation P.T, revealed A24 had been selected for its "singular" vision and development of hit movies that are "high in quality and very innovative". 

"I have been attracted to their creations and they have even inspired my own work," Kojima continued in a written statement. "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.

"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."

Kojima's comments provide a fascinating insight into how his self-titled studio and A24 will expand upon the universe laid out in Death Stranding. In the original game, players control Sam Bridges (The Walking Dead's Norman Reedus), a courier tasked with delivering supplies across a broken United States with the aim of reconnecting pockets of humanity following a calamitous event, all the while evading mysterious and dangerous supernatural entities known simply as BTs.

As Kojima teases, though, the forthcoming Death Stranding film will a new entry set in the franchise's wider world, meaning we're unlikely to see most of (if not all) of the characters who appeared in the exclusive PlayStation title.

Regardless, A24 seem like a superb fit for a film as creatively distinct, bizarre, and over-the-top as the games in Kojima's back catalog. 

With smash hits including Midsommar, Hereditary, The Whale, Ex Machina, and Talk to Me – the latter being one of 2023's most well-received new movies – in its portfolio, A24 has taken the entertainment world by storm since its 2011 founding. Indeed, the independent studio even won its first Best Picture Oscar in early 2023, too, with the mind-boggling multiverse flick Everything Everywhere All at Once – one of TechRadar's best movies of 2022 – seeing off fellow big hitters including Avatar: The Way of Water, Elvis, and Top Gun Maverick to land the coveted prize.

No release date has been announced yet and likely won't for a number of years yet as we're unsure how far along development is on the project. Still, as big fans of A24 and Kojima here at TechRadar, we're excited to see what the two powerhouse studios can cook up.

It's been a big week for A24 in the wider entertainment space. On Friday, December 8, it was announced that over 100 A24 films were heading to Max after the firm penned a multi-year deal with HBO to exclusively bring its film library to one of the world's best streaming services (in the US, anyway). Many of A24's forthcoming releases, including Priscilla, The Zone of Interest, The Iron Claw, and Civil War will also land on the platform following their theatrical runs.

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