Kojima Unveils Pitch to Reedus for 'Death Stranding'

Hideo Kojima Reveals Norman Reedus' Immediate Commitment to Death Stranding

Death Stranding, a surprise hit from renowned game creator Hideo Kojima, featured Norman Reedus as its lead, Sam Porter Bridges. Reedus' performance, alongside other Hollywood stars, significantly contributed to the game's success. Now, with Death Stranding 2 in the works, Kojima has shared the surprisingly swift story of how Reedus joined the project.

Kojima recounts pitching Death Stranding to Reedus at a sushi restaurant. Remarkably, Reedus immediately agreed, even before a script existed. Within a month, Reedus was in the studio for motion capture, likely contributing to the iconic E3 2016 trailer that launched Kojima Productions' first independent title.

This anecdote highlights the nascent stage of both Kojima Productions and Kojima himself at the time. Newly independent after leaving Konami and the Metal Gear series, Kojima essentially pitched the game with "nothing" but his vision. Interestingly, his prior collaboration with Reedus on the cancelled Silent Hills project (famously represented by the P.T. demo) formed the foundation for this unexpected partnership. While Silent Hills never materialized beyond the acclaimed P.T., it inadvertently paved the way for the successful collaboration on Death Stranding years later.