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The Death Stranding movie script is "almost done," but it won't be the Death Stranding you remember
But it IS Kojima-approved.
Kojima Productions, Photo by Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty Images
- Alex Raisbeck
Published: Monday, 8 June 2026 at 5:20 pm
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The script for the upcoming film adaptation of Death Stranding is nearly done, and it includes some big changes from the original game.
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First announced in 2022, the live-action Death Stranding film is being produced by Kojima Productions in partnership with Hammerstone Studios and A24.
And it appears that production may be getting underway soon, as writer and director Michael Sarnoski confirmed in a recent IGN Live interview that the script was close to completion.
"I'm writing the script right now and hopefully almost done with that and really excited to dive into it," Sarnoski remarked.
Protagonist Sam and baby Lou in Death Stranding 2. Kojima Productions
The director behind A Quiet Place: Day One, Pig and the upcoming The Death of Robin Hood went on to describe working with Death Stranding creator Hideo Kojima, and how the script has been received.
"I've been talking to Kojima and A24 a lot about it. They've read a draft. We're working on some revisions together, and they all seem super excited and happy with it."
Interestingly, while Kojima is notorious for the level of control he exerts over his projects, Sarnoski has been given rather a lot of freedom, with the film not focusing on the story and character of the games at all.
"Kojima has been really generous in letting me play in his world but letting me tell a story with my own characters and my own sort of corner of this world," Sarnoski explained, "but keeping it honest to the game and doing something the fans will really like.
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"So it's been a great process so far, and I'm really excited to share it."
Sarnoski likened the freedom to tell his own story to his work on A Quiet Place: Day One, explaining, "That's what I loved about doing [A] Quiet Place. That, OK, I get to play in this sandbox, but I can have my own characters. I can explore something that's meaningful to me.
"I think there are such fundamental themes in Death Stranding about connection and expression and all of this stuff, that it was easy for me to find a character that made sense in that world that I could really dive into."
Nevertheless, fans of the games will be familiar with some of the faces in the film – "You might see some characters from the game pop up," Sarnoski noted – but nevertheless, he views the film as "something that could happen alongside the game and honours what's going on in the game, but very much is its own thing."
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Authors
Alex RaisbeckGaming writer
Alex Raisbeck is a Gaming Writer at Radio Times, covering everything from AAA giants to indie gems. Alex has written for VideoGamer, GamesRadar+, PC Gamer, PCGamesN and more.
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