Gaming auteur Hideo Kojima has revealed that he put a superhero project on hold due to similarities to Amazon’s hit show The Boys, and that Mads Mikkelsen was his chosen actor to be the lead. Both Kojima’s project and The Boys would have revolved around the idea that superheroes may not be as good as their public image implies, and would need to be kept in check.
The Boys is an adaptation of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s comic book series, which ran from 2006 to 2012. It presents a dark, satirical take on the world of superheroes and corporate America, while further tackling the political themes of superhero fiction and celebrity with nods and parallels drawn to real-world events – far different to the video game story of Marvel’s Spider-Man. Amazon’s show has been highly praised by fans and critics and is currently on its third season, with Karl Urban as the show’s lead, Billy Butcher.
Hideo Kojima often takes to Twitter to comment on the latest movie or TV show he has seen and offer his views, with high praise reserved for films he ends up enjoying, such as Paddington 2. In his latest update, Kojima (via. VGC) talked about The Boys, admitting that he initially quit watching the hit superhero series after the first three episodes of the first season, but recently chose to revisit it. In a series of tweets, Kojima revealed that he had been planning a project that would have starred Mads Mikkelsen (who previously collaborated with the game director as a cast member of Death Stranding), and would have focused on a special squad facing off against legendary superheroes who needed to be kept in check behind the scenes. However, he eventually shelved the project due to the concept being too similar to The Boys. His comments prompted The Boys showrunner and self-proclaimed Kojima fan Eric Kripke, as well as Antony Starr – who plays the villainous Homelander on the show – to reach out and request a “team-up” to make a game based on The Boys from Kojima Productions, a prospect that other fans on the thread seemed eager to see.
Although Kojima’s Boys-esque superhero game didn’t come to fruition, his studio – Kojima Productions – does seem to have several projects in production currently, with actor Norman Reedus accidentally confirming Death Stranding 2 the other month. An Xbox-exclusive project that Kojima confirmed at the recent Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase is also in development. Although little is known about this Xbox-exclusive title, it will see Kojima Productions utilizing Microsoft’s established XCloud technology to deliver what Kojima has promised will be a unique experience that is unlike anything players have seen before.
Hideo Kojima‘s ideas for a superhero title seemed like a refreshing take on the genre in the gaming world that could have gone hand in hand with what Amazon was doing with The Boys on streaming. Given how he stated that the project was put on hold rather than canceled outright, there is still hope that fans might see the mind behind the iconic Metal Gear Solid series venture into the world of superheroes one day.
Sources: Hideo Kojima/Twitter (via. VGC)
