The movie version of Stephen King’s dystopian novel The Long Walk has gotten a positive update following four failed attempts at making the adaptation. Written by King under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, the story revolves around a deadly annual walking contest in a future America. Adaptations of the book have been floated by filmmakers like George A. Romero and Frank Darabont, though no film has ever come to fruition.
Now, Business Insider has confirmed that The Hunger Games series director Francis Lawrence is attached to direct an adaptation of The Long Walk. Lawrence said he is “very excited” about the project. Details on what the adaptation will entail remain under wraps.
What Francis Lawrence’s Directing Means For The Long Walk
The previous update for The Long Walk came from André Øvredal, director of Dracula prequel The Last Voyage of the Demeter. While Øvredal had previously been attached to the King project, he was no longer directing by August 2023. The new update from Lawrence reveals why, as he will now be taking over the project to bring the dystopian contest to the big screen.
Given Lawrence’s experience with directing every film in The Hunger Games franchise since Catching Fire, he clearly has passion for the dystopian genre. Similar to the young adult franchise, The Long Walk centers around teenage boys forced into a harrowing walking contest where only one can survive. King portrays the contest as incredibly bleak and difficult, something the film’s new director can bolster thanks to his filmmaking experiences.
The Long Walk can join Squid Game, The Hunger Games, and Alice in Borderland in depicting harsh survival games where not everyone will make it out alive. Given how engaging the genre is in modern-day media, a movie based on King’s story would fit perfectly with many other popular franchises. With an engaging, dark story written by horror’s best-known author, it’s likely Lawrence will be able to faithfully bring it to the big screen.
