The latest trailer for *Death Stranding 2: On the Beach* has stirred excitement among fans, particularly with the casting of Italian actor Luca Marinelli as Neil, a character whose appearance and demeanor evoke the iconic Solid Snake from the *Metal Gear* series. Director Hideo Kojima shared insights into the casting process on X/Twitter, revealing that the role of Neil was intended to be as significant as Cliff from the first *Death Stranding*, with the expectation that the actor would surpass the impact made by Mads Mikkelsen.
Kojima first noticed Marinelli in the Italian film *They Call Me Jeeg*, and their connection deepened through the Japanese distribution of *Martin Eden*. In an email to Kojima, Marinelli expressed his admiration: "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 helped solidify Marinelli's casting. After witnessing Marinelli's performance in *The Old Guard*, Kojima extended an offer, and discussions continued post-filming of *The Eight Mountains*. Marinelli not only accepted but also introduced Kojima to his wife, Alissa Jung, who was cast as Lucy.
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Despite the challenges posed by the height of the pandemic, Marinelli and Jung's performance capture sessions were successful, with Kojima praising their dedication: "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 scene where he dons a bandanna reminiscent of Solid Snake and commands a squad of soldiers in a manner similar to Cliff from the original game. This imagery has been on Kojima's mind since 2020 when he remarked, "I think if he donned a bandanna, he'd be a spitting image of Solid Snake!" While Neil isn't a multiversal version of Snake, the visual cues are a nod to Kojima's storied history with the *Metal Gear* franchise.
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Kojima's choice of Marinelli for the role of Neil reflects his ongoing commitment to pushing boundaries and paying homage to his past work. For a deeper dive into this casting 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 for release on June 26, 2025, exclusively on PlayStation 5.
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