Few could argue that Hideo Kojima, unleashed from his work at Konami, is now flexing his creativity in a way he's never been able to before. Death Stranding is, among other things, unique. It's unlikely anyone would have expected Kojima's first post-Konami project to be a post-apocalyptic game about delivering packages. Who knows what Kojima will think up next. There is now one point of comparison, however, as a pre-Death Stranding Kojima pitch for a Mads Mikkelson-led Mads Max game has been revealed.
Kojima shared this unique pitch on Twitter, leading many to question whether he was joking or serious. Kojima explained that he not only had, but currently has "a number of ideas" that feature Mikkelson as the main character. The Mads Max game was apparently one of these ideas. While Kojima doesn't detail what the project would actually be about, the Mads Max title implies it would be directly inspired by the George Miller Mad Max films. Only, it would assumedly star Mads Mikkelson.
This idea apparently dug deep enough into Kojima's brain that he felt the need to pitch it directly to Mikkelson himself. Kojima says that as he explained the idea to Mikkelson, his friend "listened intently." However, once Kojima reached the title of the game, Mads Max, Mikkelson "broke face" and apparently thought Kojima was messing with him. Kojima clarifies that he wasn't joking. He was entirely serious.
Obviously, the Mads Max pitch from Kojima hasn't led to a full game yet. Kojima could absolutely have been joking. It's hard to tell with him, sometimes. There were probably some that thought the premise of Death Stranding was a joke when Kojima first pitched it, too. There are probably some who think Death Stranding might be a joke after having played it, too. Kojima has that kind of magic surrounding his work.
While Kojima didn't make his Mads Max game, Mikkelson was still prominently featured in Death Stranding. In fact, he may have been one of the game's best characters in his role as Cliff. Mikkelson didn't just play the role of Cliff, either, but Kojima based Cliff around the real-life Mikkelson. For example, Mikkelson is a heavy smoker, so Kojima decided to make Cliff one, too.
Mikkelson's work with Kojima almost certainly doesn't end with Death Stranding, either. Kojima's showing a proclivity for continuing to work with his friends, even if they're just cameos like Geoff Keighley in Death Stranding. Mikkelson may get to be a protagonist in a future Kojima project yet, though whether the Mads Max pitch will return is a different matter entirely. Kojima assuredly has plenty of other exciting options to consider.