Death Stranding Movie Scouts Iceland

• Director Michael Sarnoski and cinematographer Pat Scola are scouting locations in Iceland.

• Filming is expected to begin in 2027 in Iceland and Northern Ireland.

• The movie will tell an original story within Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding universe.

The upcoming Death Stranding movie is moving closer to production, as director Michael Sarnoski and cinematographer Pat Scola scout locations in Iceland ahead of filming.

Sarnoski recently shared a photo from Iceland, while Scola posted footage showing waterfalls, rocky terrain and wide areas covered in green moss. The landscapes closely resemble the distinctive environments seen in Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding games, although it remains unclear whether the specific locations will appear in the finished movie.

The location scouting marks one of the clearest signs yet that the project is progressing beyond script development and into practical pre-production. Sarnoski has previously indicated that filming is expected to begin in 2027, with Iceland and Northern Ireland among the planned locations.

Unlike a conventional game-to-film adaptation, the movie will not directly retell the story of Sam Porter Bridges, the central character played by Norman Reedus in the games. Sarnoski has said the film will explore an original story featuring his own characters and a different part of the Death Stranding universe, while remaining faithful to the spirit of Kojima’s creation. Familiar characters could still appear.

The screenplay is being written by Sarnoski, who said in June that it was nearing completion. He also revealed that Kojima had read drafts and was involved in revisions, giving the director freedom to explore his own story within the established universe.

The live-action film is being developed through A24 and Kojima Productions. The two companies announced their partnership in 2023, describing the project as a live-action feature adaptation of Death Stranding.

The original game, released in 2019, is set in a post-apocalyptic world where a mysterious event has disrupted the boundary between life and death. The story centres on isolated communities and the effort to reconnect a fractured society.

The movie's decision to introduce a new story gives Sarnoski room to explore the game's world without simply reproducing its existing plot. At the same time, the Iceland scouting suggests that the film is aiming to capture the atmospheric landscapes that have become an important part of the franchise's identity.

No official cast or theatrical release date has been announced. Norman Reedus has expressed interest in returning to the franchise on screen, but his involvement in the movie has not been officially confirmed.

For now, the Iceland location work represents an important step for the long-awaited adaptation, as the filmmakers begin turning the Death Stranding world from a video game environment into a live-action setting.