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The master of literary horror will soon be returning to the big screen once again, and Stephen King’s underrated novel The Long Walk is finally getting a feature film adaptation. Penned under his pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1979, The Long Walk was King’s first stab at dystopian fiction and was something of a departure from the usual small-town monsters and ghouls that typically populate his works. Unlike nearly every other book in King’s miles-long bibliography, The Long Walk has never made its way to the screen in any form whatsoever.
Perhaps because it didn’t quite fit in with King’s image as the late 20th century’s horror hitmaker, The Long Walk languished in production hell on various occasions and even had some big names attached. With some of King’s works being remade multiple times, it’s obvious that he is still a viable candidate for adaptation, but the time was never ripe for The Long Walk. Often ranking highly among the best Stephen King works that haven’t been adapted yet, The Long Walk has finally been made official, and a movie is on the way after more than four decades in print.
The Long Walk is Confirmed In Development
Having come and gone on multiple occasions, The Long Walk has officially been confirmed as in development. Not only is The Long Walk on its way, but Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence has been attached to helm the underrated Stephen King work. Lawrence is far from the first director to take a stab at the novel, but the latest news surrounding The Long Walk is the most promising update that the adaptation has ever received. Lawrence’s experience with dystopian fiction makes him perfect for capturing King’s bleak vision of the future.
Every Director Who Has Previously Been Attached To The Long Walk
Though Stephen King has been a sure-fire hitmaker at the movies since the late 1970s, his 1979 novel The Long Walk has managed to evade even the biggest horror filmmakers. Starting in 1988, Dawn of the Dead director George A. Romero was attached to an adaptation, but the project never got off the ground. Around 2007, Stephen King-adapter Frank Darabont, who had previously tackled The Mist, The Green Mile, and The Shawshank Redemption, also tried and failed to grasp King’s obscure novel.
As recently as early 2023, horror newcomer André Øvredal (The Last Voyage of the Demeter) was tapped to develop King’s novel, but The Long Walk got yet another discouraging update when he stepped away from the project in August 2023. Now, with Francis Lawrence attached, The Long Walk seems somewhat more realistic because of how quickly a new suitor was found.
The Long Walk Story
Though no details about the upcoming adaptation have been revealed, it can be assumed that it will follow the novel. In a parallel to Lawrence’s experience with The Hunger Games series, The Long Walk is set in a dystopian future where Americans are pitted against one another in a deadly challenge for entertainment. Contestants are required to walk along US Highway 1 at a speed of four miles an hour, or else they risk being shot by soldiers.
The novel specifically follows young Ray Garraty, a 16-year-old boy from Maine who is drawn along by his compulsion to participate in “The Walk” even though he isn’t particularly athletic. Since the novel explored heavy themes like the Vietnam War, it is unclear how much will be altered to conform the social commentary to a 21st-century audience. One thing that sets The Long Walk apart from other teen-centric dystopian fiction is Stephen King’s signature gruesome edge, which will likely be on full display.
