Normally, nothing good comes out of internet conspiracy theories, borne out of forum speculation and cross-referenced pictures.
But when it comes to the work of Metal Gear series creator Hideo Kojima, conspiracy theories may be the most appropriate way to approach it, especially when we know so little about his first solo project, Death Stranding.
Revealed at this past E3 with a profoundly cryptic trailer featuring The Walking Dead star Norman Reedus, we still know essentially nothing about this game. The internet will of course fill that vacuum with wild speculation built around any scraps we do have, and the latest running theory is that the game’s cast will include Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, best known for playing Le Cheiffre in Casino Royale, and his absolutely brilliant turn as Hannibal Lecter in NBC’s Hannibal.
The rumor started when Kojima posted an image on Twitter of an unidentified actor in a motion capture session:
Adjusting. pic.twitter.com/tC8zdjrh9o
— HIDEO_KOJIMA (@HIDEO_KOJIMA_EN) August 21, 2016
NeoGAF user Sn4ke_911 caught that on the same day Jonny Erskine posted an image to Instagram with Mikkelsen wearing a suspiciously similar sweatshirt:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BJYV9e0A8LQ/
According to Erskine in the comments, Mikkelsen said that he was in England while acting in a Japanese video game. In the past Kojima has described Mikkelsen as his favorite actor, so we know for sure that the Hannibal star is on Kojima’s radar.
Mads Mikkelsen is an extraordinary actor, and has previously demonstrated a knack for video game levels of badassery in the one-eyed viking protagonist of Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn’s Valhalla Rising, so we would be thrilled if it were true that he’s collaborating with Kojima.
There are currently no details about a release window for Death Stranding, which is being developed exclusively for PlayStation 4 by the newly-independent Kojima Productions.
