DEATH STRANDING Director Teases Action-Packed Movie Adaptation, But Don’t Expect Extreme Gore

Fans of Death Stranding have been wondering what shape the upcoming live-action adaptation will take, especially with Michael Sarnoski stepping into the world created by Hideo Kojima.

While the filmmaker's recent work includes some intensely graphic violence, it sounds like the Death Stranding movie will take a very different approach.

Sarnoski is currently preparing to direct the first live-action Death Stranding film for A24 and Kojima Productions, and while the movie will feature plenty of action, he says audiences shouldn't expect the same kind of brutal carnage seen in his latest film, The Death of Robin Hood.

Speaking about the project, Sarnoski explained: "I wouldn't say the script is very violent. There's definitely a lot of, like, action and excitement to it. There's some violence to it.

“I mean, Death Stranding is a brutal world... and it's a world also where it feels like death is just around the corner. So there needs to be that sort of visceral sense of, 'oh, this could be it.' It's sort of [a] bleak and barren post-apocalyptic environment.

“So there is violence and action to it, but the role of violence is very different from this one. [The Death of Robin Hood] is a movie that kind of questions violence."

While Death Stranding certainly takes place in a dangerous and unforgiving world, the game has always been more focused on exploration, connection, survival, and unraveling its mysteries than on nonstop combat.

It's also a sharp contrast to The Death of Robin Hood, which stars Hugh Jackman as an older Robin Hood living a life soaked in violence alongside Little John, played by Bill Skarsgård.

That film reportedly features some seriously gnarly moments, including jaws being ripped apart, arrows through eye sockets, slit throats, and plenty of fire-fueled destruction before Robin is forced to reflect on the consequences of his life.

Because of that, many fans have wondered if Sarnoski would bring a similarly graphic style to Death Stranding. According to the director, that's not the plan.

He went on to say: "In Death Stranding, the sort of violence and action is about, exploration and about understanding the world more deeply. So there will be some, but you're not gonna see a lot of jaws getting ripped off in Death Stranding."

That comment should give fans a clearer idea of what kind of movie Sarnoski is aiming to make. The action appears to serve the story and the discovery of the world rather than existing for shock value.

Considering how much of Kojima's game revolves around atmosphere, isolation, and human connection, that approach makes sense.

The live-action Death Stranding movie was first announced in 2023. Kojima previously explained that the project would be "not just a direct translation of the game" and that it is being developed as a film experience for movie lovers, not just gamers.

Sarnoski is once again handling both writing and directing duties, with A24 and Kojima Productions producing. The film will be set within the Death Stranding universe, but it won't directly adapt the story of the games starring Norman Reedus. Even so, Reedus has expressed interest in being involved with the project.

There's still plenty we don't know about the movie, but fans can expect a film that embraces the tension, danger, and strange beauty of Kojima's world without leaning too heavily into graphic gore.