The latest trailer for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has sparked significant interest, particularly due to the casting of Italian actor Luca Marinelli as Neil, a character whose appearance and demeanor evoke the iconic Solid Snake from the Metal Gear series. Director Hideo Kojima shared insights into the casting process on X/Twitter, revealing that Neil's role was crucial, intended to fill the shoes left by Mads Mikkelsen's character, Cliff, from the first game.
Kojima first noticed Marinelli in the Italian film They Call Me Jeeg and later connected with him during the Japanese distribution of Martin Eden. In a heartfelt email, Marinelli expressed his admiration for Kojima's work, particularly the Metal Gear series, stating, "I grew up with Metal Gear. I am a big fan of yours. I am very honored that you saw the film I starred in. I wanted to tell you this directly."
Death Stranding 2 - Release Date Trailer Screenshots
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Impressed by Marinelli's performance in The Old Guard, Kojima extended an offer to the actor. After wrapping up The Eight Mountains, Marinelli accepted the role and even introduced Kojima to his wife, Alissa Jung, who was cast as Lucy. Despite the challenges posed by the height of the pandemic, both actors underwent performance capture, delivering exceptional performances that are evident even in the brief glimpses shown in the trailer.
Kojima expressed gratitude towards Marinelli and Jung for their commitment, noting, "We did their scan and pcap [performance capture] during the height of the pandemic, but their on-set performance was excellent. You can see that in the digitized results from even the small bits of the trailer. I can only thank Luca and Alissa for agreeing to perform when we didn't even have a script yet."
Neil's character has become a focal point of the latest trailer, culminating in a scene where he dons a bandanna reminiscent of Solid Snake and commands a squad of soldiers in a manner similar to Cliff from the original Death Stranding. This visual nod to Kojima's past work with the Metal Gear series has fans buzzing.
Death Stranding 2 Cast
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Kojima has long been captivated by Marinelli's potential, mentioning in 2020 that if Marinelli wore a bandanna, he would resemble Solid Snake. While Neil is not a direct incarnation of Snake, the imagery and casting choices clearly reflect Kojima's storied history with the Metal Gear franchise.
For a deeper dive into the significance of this casting, check out IGN's feature, "Who Is Kojima’s New ‘Solid Snake’ and Why Death Stranding 2 Looks Like the Closest We’ll Ever Get to Another Metal Gear Solid."
Death Stranding 2: On the Beach is slated for release on June 26, 2025, exclusively on PlayStation 5.
