Summary
Hideo Kojima recently spoke up about how he wanted one particularDeath Stranding 2: On the Beachcasting choice to surpass Mads Mikkelsen’s Cliff Unger from the first game. Kojima and the cast ofDeath Stranding 2were present at this week’s SXSW in Austin, Texas to answer fan questions and show off more footage from the upcoming sequel. It was here that gamers finally learnedDeath Stranding 2’s release date and saw more of the game’s characters.
One character in particular caught the eye of many old-school fans of Kojima and his work. Neil is a mysterious figure with unknown ties to the Bridges organization, played by Italian actor Luca Marinelli. Towards the end of the recentDeath Stranding 2trailer, Neil is shown sporting a headband and tactical gear almost identical to those worn byMetal Gear Solidprotagonist Solid Snake. Even Kojima himself took note of Marinelli’s resemblance to the legendary super spy, with a past social media post stating that the actor would be the “spitting image” of Snake should he ever wear his iconic headband.
Kojima shed more insight into how he met and eventually cast MarinelliinDeath Stranding 2: On the Beachin a lengthy Twitter post, saying that he first saw the actor in the Italian filmThey Call Me Jeeg. He would be further impressed with Marinelli’s performance in the Jack London autobiographical filmMartin Eden, which would lead to him and Marinelli coming into contact. Kojima revealed he started casting forDeath Stranding 2during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and ultimately decided that Marinelli would be “perfect” for the role of Neil after watching him inThe Old Guard.
Kojima Wanted Luca Marinelli’s Death Stranding 2 Role to ‘Surpass’ Mads Mikkelsen
Luca Marinelli was already afan of theMetal Gearseriesand once told Hideo Kojima that he was “honored” that the legendary game creator watched and enjoyed his movies. Kojima says that he wanted the character of Neil to “surpass” Mads Mikkelsen’s Cliff Unger from the firstDeath Strandinggame, as the two characters have similar roles. “Neil would be an important role that replaces Cliff fromDS1. The fans would not be satisfied unless the casting would surpass Mads.”
Neil would be an important role that replaces Cliff from DS1. The fans would not be satisfied unless the casting would surpass Mads.
Cliff served as a secondary antagonist in the originalDeath Stranding, albeit one with a tragic backstory that tied deeply into the past ofmain character Sam Porter Bridges. Sure enough, Neil can be seen leading a small squadron of undead soldiers in the newDeath Stranding 2trailer, not unlike the squad Cliff commanded in the previous game. More details about Neil, his goals, and his apparent ties to Bridges could be hinted at during the build-up toDeath Stranding 2’s release on June 26.
