At SDCC 2019, Hideo Kojima revealed that the Mads Mikkelsen role in Death Stranding almost went to Keanu Reeves.

“I originally was recommended Keanu Reeves but I wanted Mads,” said Hideo Kojima. According to IGN, the Reeves suggestion was made by Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn who also plays Heartman in the upcoming game.

Kojima doesn’t expand on this casting possibility, but the idea that he simply preferred Mads Mikkelsen is a good enough explanation for most people. Kojima has expressed his fondness for Mikkelsen quite a bit in the past, and Kojima’s social media feed has regularly featured pictures of Mikkelsen over the years.

Still, there’s that lingering idea of what might have been. Cyberpunk 2077 was already one of the most anticipated games on the horizon, and even it experienced a popularity boost after it was revealed at E3 2019 that Reeves was joining the game’s cast. PR aside, starring in a Kojima game might have actually given Reeves a weird and different role to sink his teeth into it.