Deadline reports that Michael Sarnoski, director of A Quiet Place: Day One and Pig, has been hired as writer and director for the upcoming film adaptation of Death Stranding. The film is a joint production between A24 and Kojima Productions.

Sarnoski made his feature film directorial debut with the 2021 drama Pig, starring Nicholas Cage, which received critical acclaim. Samoski followed that by directing A Quiet Place: Day One, a prequel story in the hit A Quiet Place horror franchise, which was also positively received. He most recently directed the upcoming The Death of Robin Hood, another A24 film starring Hugh Jackman and Jodie Comer, that wrapped production earlier this year. The adaptation of Death Stranding will be his fourth film in the writer/director chair. 

The Death Stranding movie was announced in December 2022, initially with Hammerstone Studios tapped to develop and produce the film. A year later, A24 announced its partnership with Kojima Productions to bring the film to life, with Hammerstone reportedly remaining a co-financier and executive producer.   

Details on the film’s plot are scarce, but we know it will retain the same premise as the games and reportedly feature new characters and elements. In June 2023, creator Hideo Kojima described his level of involvement with the project by stating, “I am deeply involved in producing, supervising, plotting, look, design and content of the film adaptation of DS.”

This news comes ahead of the anticipated launch of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, which Kojima Productions recently promoted at the SXSW film festival with a new 10-minute trailer. The sequel is slated to launch on June 26 for PlayStation 5.

[Source: Deadline]