Death Stranding movie: Hideo Kojima wants to make art, not money

Hideo Kojima tells fans what they should expect from his upcoming Death Stranding movie, and we should probably expect something weird.

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Pop culture and gaming icon Hideo Kojima is finally making a movie. The project is based on his new Death Stranding franchise, but it won't be a big-budget action flick. Instead, Kojima is going for a smaller-scale indie type of experience that should ensure he retains a lot of creative freedom, which is something that Kojima needs in order to really bring his visions to life. It helps tremendously that Kojima has partnered with Hammerstone Studios, who brought movies like Barbarian to life.

In a recent interview with IGN, Kojima says that he isn't necessarily interested in making a lot of money. This is a passion project from him and his team, and making a film is something he's always wanted to do. Kojima says he passed on pitches from studios who wanted a blockbuster movie--but Kojima wants to keep things arthouse.

"There were a lot of pitches to make a large-scale movie with famous actors and flashy explosions, but what good would explosions be in Death Stranding?" Kojima told IGN.

"Making money isn't something I'm focused on at all, either. I'm aiming for a more arthouse approach, and the only person who offered to make a film like that was Alex Lebovici, which makes me think he's a rather unusual type."

The Death Stranding film could be entirely different than the games. Kojima says there is no real point in fully adapting Death Stranding into a film--he instead wants to tell new stories and explore the series in a way that film allows him to. It's also worth noting that Death Stranding in itself is a cinematic experience with lots of higher-end motion capture that's so realistic it's almost like watching a movie.

Kojima's words are echoed by Hammerstone's Alex Lebovici, who mentioned the project would not be a tentpole video game adaptation:

"We are thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to partner with brilliant and iconic Hideo Kojima on his first film adaptation," executive producer Alex Lebovici told Deadline.

"Unlike other big budget tentpole video game adaptations, this will be something far more intimate and grounded. Our goal is to redefine what a video game adaptation could be when you have creative and artistic freedom. This film will be an authentic "Hideo Kojima" production."

Hideo Kojima's studio, Kojima Productions, recently opened a new production branch in Los Angeles, California that will be devoted entirely to multimedia content including shows, music, and films.