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Death Stranding Franchise Gets Anime Series Also in 2027

Kojima Productions unveiled a new anime series based in the universe of Hideo Kojima's Death Stranding game titled Death Stranding Isolations on Thursday. Kojima Productions unveiled the visual, staff, and 2027 debut date on Disney+. The anime will have an original story.

Takayuki Sano (Attack on Titan The Final Season and Attack on Titan The Final Season Part 2 episode animation director, Bullet/Bullet episode animation director) is directing the series at E&H production, with character designs by illustrator Ilya Kuvshinov (The Wonderland, Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045). Hideo Kojima is the executive producer.

The site describes the series:

Once, there was an explosion... 

Lonesome souls of the dead manifest in the physical world, reaching in search of the living. However, the connection they create triggers a massive explosion that eradicates anything of this world—a phenomenon referred to as the Death Stranding. These events wipe out nations as well as civilization itself. People who remain are now isolated, withdrawn, and without connections. As humanity stands at the brink a legendary porter set out to transport both cargo and wishes of its senders, reconnecting people in the hope that they might still be saved. 

Based on the video game born out of the mind of legendary game creator, Hideo Kojima, comes a new animation series headed by Japan's up-and-coming animation studio E&H production. Helmed by E&H's Takayuki Sano, it follows in the footsteps of the original in spirit and ideas and depict the world of Death Stranding through a bold and yet subtle touch and top-class hand-drawn animation.  

Somewhere in North America, just as Sam Bridges walks through the continent in order to save America, the someones are also trying to deal with their isolation in their own way. An old man trying to realize salvation through ways outside of the connection advocated by Bridges. A female warrior who tries to kickstart a world of constant fighting. A boy with a grudge against Bridges. A girl who embraces loneliness. 

On the precipice of the end of humanity and the world, their fates and hopes converge, as another story of Death Stranding begins. 

And now, comes another explosion... 

Kojima reported in an interview with Vogue Japan in May that a Death Stranding animation was now in the works. 

The franchise is inspiring a separate animation feature film project with the working title DEATH STRANDING MOSQUITO. Hiroshi Miyamoto (Eiga Precure Dream Stars!, Hugtto! Precure Futari wa Precure All Stars Memories) is directing the project at ABC ANIMATION STUDIO. Kojima Productions and Line Mileage previously announced that Aaron Guzikowski (Raised by Wolves) is writing the project's script. The animation project will tell an original story.

The game is inspiring yet another separate film adaptation at Hammerstone Studios (Barbarian, Bill and Ted Face the Music). Director Michael Sarnoski (Pig, A Quiet Place: Day One) is set to write and direct the film. Lars Knudsen and Ari Aster's Square Peg production company is also producing the film.

The original Death Stranding game shipped for PlayStation 4 in November 2019. The game launched on PC via Steam in July 2020 after a delay from June 2020 due to COVID-19. Death Stranding: Director's Cut, the PlayStation 5 version of the game, launched in September 2021. Death Stranding: Director's Cut launched for PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store in March 2022.

The Death Stranding 2: On the Beach sequel game launched for PlayStation 5 on June 26. The cast for the game includes Norman Reedus, Léa Seydoux, Troy Baker, George Miller, Fatih Akin, Elle Fanning, Shioli Kutsuna, Nicolas Winding Refn, Luca Marinelli, and Alissa Jung.

Kojima Productions established a new division in Los Angeles, California in 2021 dedicated to music, television, and film.

Sources: Kojima Productions, Comic Natalie