Kojima Casts Solid Snake Lookalike for Death Stranding 2, Aims to Outdo Mikkelsen

The latest trailer for Death Stranding 2: On the Beach has sent waves through the gaming community, not least because of the casting of Italian actor Luca Marinelli as Neil, whose character exudes a distinctly Solid Snake-esque aura. Director Hideo Kojima took to X/Twitter to shed light on the intricate casting process for this pivotal role, which he intended to replace the impact of Cliff from the original Death Stranding. Kojima emphasized that only a performance surpassing that of Mads Mikkelsen would satisfy the fans.

Kojima first noticed Marinelli in the Italian film They Call Me Jeeg, and their connection deepened during the Japanese distribution of Martin Eden. In a heartfelt email, Marinelli expressed his admiration for Kojima's work, 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

42 ImagesImpressed by Marinelli's performance in The Old Guard, Kojima extended an offer to the actor, and they connected after Marinelli finished filming The Eight Mountains. Marinelli accepted the role and even introduced Kojima to his wife, Alissa Jung, for the role of Lucy. Despite the challenges of the ongoing pandemic, Kojima praised their performance capture work, saying, "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 striking scene where he dons a bandanna reminiscent of Solid Snake from Metal Gear Solid and commands a squad in a manner similar to Cliff from the first Death Stranding.

Death Stranding 2 Cast

14 ImagesKojima's vision for Neil's character and the bandanna imagery have been on his mind for years. In 2020, he remarked, "I think if he donned a bandanna, he'd be a spitting image of Solid Snake!" Although Neil isn't a multiversal version of Snake, his appearance evokes Kojima's storied history with the Metal Gear franchise, raising anticipation for what Marinelli will bring to the role.

For a deeper dive into the casting choice and its implications, 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 to launch on June 26, 2025, exclusively on PlayStation 5.