Hideo Kojima Teases a Secret Cameo in a Big Live-Action Movie, and He’s Not Saying Which One

Hideo Kojima has always had one foot in the movie world. The ‘Metal Gear’ and ‘Death Stranding’ creator calls himself someone whose body is mostly made of movies, and he has long filled his games with filmmakers and actors he admires.

Lately, he has also started turning up on screen. Late last year, he lent his voice to the Japanese dub of ‘Zootopia 2’ as Paul Moldebrandt, a mole who works for the Zootopia Police Department, after director Jared Bush personally asked him. More recently, he made a cameo in the TBS drama ‘VIVANT’ as Superintendent General Watanuki, though digital retouching removed his trademark glasses and beard and left many viewers unable to recognize him.

Now he says there is more on the way. On October 5, DiscussingFilm shared that Kojima has revealed he will have a cameo in an upcoming big live-action film, a post that drew nearly 290,000 views.

The comments came during the return of ‘KOJI10: Hideo Kojima’s Let’s Make This The Greatest 10 p.m.,’ which came back after a year away. The show began in October 2024 as a segment on TBS radio’s ‘After 6 Junction,’ ran as a radio series in 2025 and is now a podcast that is also being released on YouTube for the first time, with Episode 36 marking the comeback. Kojima co-hosts with TBS announcer Maoko Hibi and Yohei Miyazaki of TBS’s drama production department.

During a segment about his cameos, Kojima said he has been invited to appear in several projects and has already shot a few of them. He said one of them is a big movie, and when a co-host asked whether he shows his face, he confirmed it is live action. When pressed on where it was filmed, he declined to say.

The live-action film is not the only one. Kojima said he is also in two major anime titles, and that the anime projects are very big. He added that another project gives him a fair amount of dialogue.

He also mentioned a recent video game appearance, though he wouldn’t say whether he was scanned for it. Everything, he joked, is a secret, since he would get in trouble for revealing details. He said he probably won’t announce which projects he’s in, so audiences will have to spot him themselves.

None of the projects were named on the show, so there is no confirmed title for the live-action film yet. That means fans will have to wait for more details to emerge.

Kojima insisted he doesn’t actively seek cameos and that people mistakenly think he loves being in the spotlight. He explained that he is asked by directors, producers, actors or other friends in the business, and that it is hard to say no. In his words, a cameo is essentially a favor for a friend.

He also pointed to his love of Hitchcock, saying little surprises like that are fun. He added that he doesn’t enjoy playing himself, and would rather play a detective or even a thug.

For ‘Zootopia 2,’ he said the director only told him which character he’d play when he arrived to record, showing him a picture of a little mole with glasses. He admitted that his participation in that film was limited to a small scene, but he learned a lot about acting from the experience.

The same episode was packed with updates on Kojima Productions. He said the live-action ‘Death Stranding’ film from A24 is starting location scouting, that he has read the screenplay many times, and that two animated projects, a film and a series, are progressing.

He also confirmed that Bill Skarsgård leads his upcoming game ‘Physint,’ and discussed casting for the horror game ‘OD.’ Kojima said he is reading new books for a 2026 edition of Hideo’s Mysteries and announced an anniversary exhibition at Azabudai Hills.

For movie fans, though, the biggest tease was the cameo. A game creator known for pulling big-name actors into his own work is now quietly appearing in other people’s films, and it sounds like several more of those appearances are coming.

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