Kojima Productions’ Hideo Kojima has always been an enigmatic auteur. It has been difficult recently to nail down what Kojima Productions’ next game will be, with many signs pointing to a potential Death Stranding sequel. Recently, Kojima Productions released a cryptic message teasing its latest game. The original tease was light on details and even lighter on any information that could discern it as one game from another. However, the tease’s silhouette has since been illuminated, revealing that Kojima Productions’ next game will feature actress Elle Fanning.
Because Death Stranding sequel rumors were apparent a while back, fans have been eager to assume that Fanning’s role will be associated with that franchise. But there have also been rumors lately of a possible horror game titled Overdose. Still, if this tease is intended to hype up a potential Death Stranding sequel, there are a number of different conclusions that can be drawn in terms of who she will play. Fanning could be playing a completely new character, but it would be even more interesting if she was playing an older Lou from the original game.
Elle Fanning’s Character Could Echo Rosemary Winters from RE8
One of the most compelling narrative choices that Kojima Productions could make with regard to Fanning in a Death Stranding sequel would be to have her play an older Lou. As fans of the continent-trekking epic know, Lou is the BB that Sam Porter Bridges rescues from a trip to an incinerator and coddles throughout the United Cities of America.
Lou is still an infant at the end of Death Stranding, but knowing how creative Kojima games are, it may be possible that the sequel makes an enormous time jump into the future. If so, it would seem as though the Death Stranding sequel could be taking a page from Resident Evil Village’s Rosemary Winters.
In Capcom’s latest Resident Evil entry, Rose is an infant whose body parts have been separated in preparation for an occultist ritual. Her father, Ethan Winters, is the playable protagonist who must rescue her by retrieving all of her bodily flasks and defeating Mother Miranda. Then, the conclusion of the game has a flash-forward epilogue. This epilogue is a cliffhanger for Rose’s narrative that takes place fifteen years in the future, where she is now a teenager.
Resident Evil Village’s upcoming Shadows of Rose DLC will make her playable in a story that bookends the Winters’ tale, and Death Stranding’s sequel may have something similar in mind. Lou was incredibly important to Death Stranding, especially when helping Sam learn more about himself, and it would be fantastic to see her return in such a significant way if the rumored sequel does include her.
What a New Protagonist Might Mean for Death Stranding’s Sam Bridges
If Fanning is truly a part of Death Stranding’s rumored sequel, and does end up playing Lou in the future, this would make for some fascinating changes in the franchise that fans may not have expected. For example, many fans would assume that Norman Reedus was returning for the sequel, and that it would not be taking place much longer after the conclusion of the original game.
But if Lou is much older and playable, Sam may not be returning to Death Stranding in the same capacity that he had in the original. This is now a common trend in games, where an NPC that was previously unplayable or played a smaller role becomes the sequel’s protagonist. There are many fans who believe Atreus will become a playable protagonist, for instance, if Kratos dies in God of War Ragnarok.
Lou would make for an appropriate protagonist in Sam's place depending on how far in the future the sequel takes place and if Fanning truly is playing Lou. It is anyone’s guess at the moment what could occur in a Death Stranding sequel, or if Kojima Productions is teasing a Death Stranding game at all, and speculation will only get dimmer or clearer as the marketing for Kojima’s next game continues.
A new game from Kojima Productions is in development.