Director of the Death Stranding film adaptation, Michael Sarnoski, has begun scouting for locations where the principal photography would take place. A picture of Sarnoski has been posted to social media, where he showcases the beautiful scenery in Iceland. A video has also been posted showcasing a waterfall in the distance. While no new details about the production have been revealed, these pictures give us a good idea of what we can expect when work on the Death Stranding movie is wrapped up.
Sarnoski was announced as the project’s director back in April 2025, and he has likely been busy with pre-production work in the meantime. The fact that location scouting is in full swing indicates that principal photography is slated to start very soon, which typically takes up the bulk of a movie’s production time. Sarnoski is known for his work on 2021’s Pig and 2025’s The Death of Robin Hood.
The Death Stranding movie is going to tell an entirely original story. Series creator Hideo Kojima and Sarnoski revealed this back in September 2025 during a livestream celebrating the 10th anniversary of the founding of Kojima Productions.
“I think, with this project, we really want to capture the soul of the game, capture the themes of the game, but tell a story you haven’t seen in that world and explore characters you haven’t seen before, and find all of that scope and all of those incredible real locations, but also find all of those nuanced characters and just do justice to this on a macro and micro scale,” said Sarnoski.
The director also spoke about how the team needed to find the right balance of telling an original story while still making sure that it takes place in the same universe as the games. With the film, Sarnoski wants to introduce the haunting and beautiful world of Death Stranding to an entirely new audience.
“We’re trying to find another story that you’ve never seen in this same universe that is both accessible to people that have never played these games before but will also give something to people that know the games really well. I think finding that balance and finding a way to tell a human story in this world that captures everything that we love about it, as well as being able to stand on its own two feet, is really the goal.”
This doesn’t necessarily mean that the film adaptation’s story will be simple and by-the-books, however. Kojima had said in April 2025 that it is going to be “an unbelievable and strange film.” He also called Sarnoski smart and a nice person to work with, and noted that the director is familiar with Kojima’s work since he played the original Metal Gear Solid as well as Death Stranding.
While the casting for the Death Stranding movie hasn’t yet been revealed, Norman Reedus, who plays Sam Porter in the games, has previously expressed interest in once more taking on the role for the adaptation.
In the meantime, take a look at our review of the latest entry in the franchise – Death Stranding 2: On the Beach.
