Luca Marinelli appears as Neil in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach

Italian actor Luca Marinelli will portray a character named Neil in Hideo Kojima's upcoming video game Death Stranding 2: On the Beach, as revealed in a new trailer at SXSW 2025, where the release date was also announced. The game, developed by Kojima Productions and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, will launch on PlayStation 5 on June 26, 2025. Marinelli's character Neil draws inspiration from the iconic Snake protagonists of Kojima's Metal Gear series. Kojima, who has a history of collaborating with film personalities, previously cast Norman Reedus as the protagonist and used the likenesses of directors Guillermo del Toro and George Miller in the series. Kojima also announced the Strands of Harmony World Tour, a concert series dedicated to the game's music, with an Italian date scheduled for January 19, 2026, at Teatro Dal Verme in Milan.