Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding Anime Movie Releases First Trailer in Major Production Update

Hideo Kojima has shown off an exciting first look at Death Stranding‘s animated film and given it a surprise working title: Mosquito. The reveal came at Kojima Productions’ live Beyond the Strand event in Tokyo.

Per IGN, in the words of Kojima and animation director Hiroshi Miyamoto, Death Stranding: Mosquito “follows the story of a guy who sucks.” A two-minute clip, which can be seen below, shows a man floating through water with something organic-looking sticking to his face. Up on land, the character gets into a brawl with two humans over the safety of a small shadowy creature that resembles the franchise’s Beached Things. The main character takes a serious uppercut to the face as the fight ramps up. The clip ends just as the clash intensifies, proving that the new Death Stranding film is set to be full of nonstop action. It does not have a release date at this time.

New Death Stranding Movie Teases Mysterious Mosquito Character in First Anime Trailer

After the clip was revealed, a follow-up conversation with Kojima and Miyamoto revealed that the word ‘Mosquito’ refers to the main character who can ‘suck,’ or ‘take something away from you,’ but it was revealed that it’s not blood — just ‘something,’ to be revealed at a later date. Mosquito is being animated with hand-drawn lines that are then digitally used to assemble the animation. Studio Easter, which worked on this year’s mega-hit anime Dandadan, is also handling the film’s backgrounds. Prisoners and Raised By Wolves‘ Aaron Guzikowksi will pen the scenario script. Other details about the upcoming film remain under wraps at this time.

Beyond the Strand also gave Death Stranding fans a look at several other franchise projects currently in the works. Fans who attended the event were treated to new information about the upcoming A24 film adaptation, which is currently planned for a 2027 release. Michael Sarnoski (A Quiet Place: Day One) will direct, with Ari Aster (Hereditary, Midsommar) and Lars Knudsen (The Witch) serving as producers. On the gaming side of things, Kojima also unveiled a first look at his upcoming game, OD, with a special teaser trailer. The project is being developed for Xbox Game Studios and does not have a release date at this time.

In May, Kojima confirmed an anime adaptation of his hit independent video game series was in the works. He shared his high hopes for the live-action film while also unveiling the anime project, saying: “I am aiming to make Death Stranding in a way that can only be done as a film,” he said, “and that will win awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival. In fact, we are also currently working on an anime adaptation.”

Released in 2019, the Death Stranding video game was released for PlayStation 4 and is set in the United States after a terrible event causes destructive creatures to roam the Earth. Players control Sam Porter Bridges (Norman Reedus), a courier who delivers supplies to isolated colonies and helps them reconnect via a wireless communications network. In addition to Reedus, the game also featured the voice talents of several Hollywood actors, including Mads Mikkelsen, Léa Seydoux, Margaret Qualley, Troy Baker, Tommie Earl Jenkins, and Lindsay Wagner.

A release date for Death Stranding: Mosquito has yet to be announced.