If Elle Fanning had refused her role in Death Stranding 2, Hideo Kojima would need to head all the way back to the writers’ room and rework it. The role the actress plays is still under wraps but has been established to be important.
During his Brain Structure podcast (via PSLS), Hideo Kojima discussed how the pair’s first meeting struck him with multiple ideas that would have needed to be axed if Fanning decided not to be part of the sequel to Kojima’s first venture since leaving Konami.
“I changed a lot, I even added in new scenes. So we changed stuff during performance captures, but I wanted actors like Elle to be a part of the creative process.”
Luckily, she agreed and will play a “very important character.” We also get to see Norman Reedus make a triumphant return as Sam Porter, Léa Seydoux as Fragile, Troy Baker as Higgs Monaghan, and Shioli Kutsuna as a brand-new character. Death Stranding 2 won’t, however, feature Heartman.