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

The latest trailer for *Death Stranding 2: On the Beach* has unveiled a wealth of new details, sparking excitement among fans, especially with the introduction of a character that echoes the iconic Solid Snake from the *Metal Gear* series. Director Hideo Kojima shared an in-depth look into the casting process of Italian actor Luca Marinelli as Neil, a pivotal character designed to fill the shoes of Cliff from the original *Death Stranding*. Kojima's goal was ambitious: to find someone who could outshine even the memorable performance of Mads Mikkelsen in the first game.

Kojima discovered Marinelli through his compelling role in the Italian film *They Call Me Jeeg*, and their connection deepened around 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." This personal touch set the stage for their collaboration.

Death Stranding 2 - Release Date Trailer Screenshots

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Impressed by Marinelli's performance in *The Old Guard*, Kojima reached out with an offer. They connected after Marinelli finished filming *The Eight Mountains*, and when discussing the role of Lucy, Marinelli introduced Kojima to his wife, Alissa Jung. Despite the challenges of the ongoing pandemic, their performance capture sessions were a success, with Kojima praising their work: "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, portrayed by Marinelli, has become a highlight of the latest trailer, culminating in a striking scene where he dons a bandanna reminiscent of Solid Snake and commands a squad in a style similar to Cliff from the first game. This visual nod to Kojima's past work with *Metal Gear* has not gone unnoticed, stirring speculation and excitement among fans.

Death Stranding 2 Cast

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Kojima's vision for Marinelli as Neil, complete with the bandanna, has been a long-held idea, as he mentioned back in 2020, "I think if he donned a bandanna, he'd be a spitting image of Solid Snake!" While Neil is not a multiversal version of Snake, the imagery evokes Kojima's storied history with the *Metal Gear* franchise, raising hopes that Marinelli will live up to the legacy. For a deeper dive into this topic, 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 for PlayStation 5.