Keanu Reeves is almost everywhere right now, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that the actor almost made an appearance in Hideo Kojima's ambitious video game Death Stranding. The game, which is the first for Kojima after his controversial departure from Konami, is one of the most anticipated titles of the year - if not the decade.
The plot of Death Stranding remains murky, although Kojima continues to tease its abstract theme. All gamers really know is that it has something to do with reconnecting isolated groups of humans in a post-apocalyptic world. The title also deals with death; each death of the protagonist somehow changes the story and world. Kojima has oddly referred to Death Stranding as creating a new kind of game genre that he's calling an "action game/strand game (social strand system)." Death Stranding also has a cast list that would make Hollywood jealous, as Norman Reedus, Lindsay Wagner, Guillermo del Toro, and Mads Mikkelsen are all attached to the project.
According to Eurogamer, Kojima spoke more about Death Stranding at San Diego Comic-Con. He ed film director Nicolas Winding Refn, who also appears in Death Stranding, at the Master Storyteller . The two men discussed their different perspectives on storytelling. During the , Kojima itted that Reeves was initially recommended to him for the part of Death Stranding's villain, but that he insisted upon Mikkelsen instead. Kojima also spoke about his specific brand of storytelling and why he prefers games over movies. He said:
"There's no reason to create something that's already there. I want to create something that gives more inspiration to the world. Like Hollywood movies where some don't live with you, people just digest and consume. What I do is make something that's difficult to chow down when you digest my work.
What happens when I release my game or when Nicolas releases a movie, we get criticism or praise. But you think about it ten years later, same as Bladerunner or 2001: Space Odyssey."
It's not as if Reeves needs the extra work. The character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the future.
Considering Reeves' current level of fame, some might think that Kojima made a mistake in not casting him in Death Stranding, but anyone who has seen Mikkelsen's work in Hannibal will probably understand that he was always the better choice for the kind of game that Kojima wanted to make. Fans will know for sure when Death Stranding releases on PlayStation 4 on November 8.
Source: Eurogamer
