The social embargo for The Long Walk lifted last night, and critics are already calling it the best Stephen King adaptation of 2025. Directed by Francis Lawrence with a screenplay written by JT Mollner, The Long Walk adapts King’s 1979 novel of the same name — originally published under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman. The novel follows a group of teenage boys competing in a high-stakes contest for fame and glory, where they must walk at a brisk pace or die until only one of them remains. In a new image (via the LA Times), stars Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson appear to be a day or so into their journey based on the boys’ exhaustion and the state of their clothing. It’s unclear if they’re among the final contestants or if they’re simply at the back of the pack, but the grueling contest is not for the faint of heart.
Last month, audiences in attendance at San Diego Comic-Con were treated to an early look at the first 20 minutes of the movie, which holds a tight runtime of 1 hour and 48 minutes. The footage serves as a slow-burning introduction to the brutal contest and the harsh conditions the boys will endure throughout the film. It also introduces Mark Hamill’s scariest villain yet: The General. Hamill plays the military leader leading the walk, barking orders at the young men and indicating when to execute them if they fail to keep up.
The Long Walk has a classic 60’s americana look to it, but according to Mollner, the film takes place “out of time.” Collider‘s Perri Nemiroff sat down with the cast and Mollner at SDCC, and among other things, Mollner spoke about when the film takes place, clearing up any confusion about a “near-future” timeline.
“The general idea is that it’s sort of out of time. It’s sort of like if something different had happened in history, perhaps during one of the wars, and we didn’t win one of those wars, and there was a divergence maybe sometime in the ’60s. That’s the version of America that this takes place in, something to that effect.”
This out-of-time aspect speaks to the timelessness of the novel and the story itself. King originally wrote The Long Walk in response to the real-life horror of the Vietnam War and the U.S. military draft, but the themes of government corruption, totalitarian regimes, and the evils of capitalism are still alarmingly relevant today.
You Can See ‘The Long Walk’ Early
The Long Walk hits theaters on September 12, but you can win tickets to see it early at Collider‘s next screening event. We’ve teamed up with Lionsgate and will be showing the film on Tuesday, August 26, at the Landmark Sunset Theatre (8000 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90046). More details on the screening and how you can attend are available here.
Check out the new image from The Long Walk above and see it in theaters on September 12.
via Collider