There are always several new Stephen King film and television projects in development, and one of the most exciting adaptations currently in the works is the big screen version of The long road. Unlike many of the author’s other novels, this is one King book that has never been adapted before… but not for a lack of trying. However, this new version has successfully made it through the development and pre-production phases and will soon be in a theater near you.
But what can the audience expect from The long road? When is the film coming out? Who is making it? I’ll answer all these questions and more in this post. Check back in the coming weeks and months as I’ll add updates as new details about the film become known.
What is the release date of “Long Walk”?
The cameras started rolling The long road late July 2024 in Manitoba, Canada, with Lionsgate as producer and sales manager for domestic distribution, but the studio has no official release date announced or even a release year for the adaptation confirmed.
If the film is actually included in the 2025 cinema calendar (which is very likely), it will be one of three planned Stephen King projects – the other two are the HBO IT Prequel series Welcome to Derry and the adaptation by screenwriter and director Osgood Perkins The monkey (both have completed filming). During this 12-month period, Mike Flanagan’s The life of Chuckwhich will premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival but does not yet have a distributor, and Edgar Wright’s remake of The running manPrincipal photography will begin in fall 2024.
What is the story of the long walk?
Originally published in 1979, The long road is set in a dystopian America, where the eponymous event is one of the country’s most popular sources of entertainment. The competition pits 100 teenagers against each other in a life-or-death endurance test. The last boy standing wins cash and a dream prize, but those who drop out of the competition are killed.
The young participants must maintain a steady pace of four miles per hour as they march along U.S. Route 1, which begins at the Canada-Maine border. Anyone who slows or stops receives a warning, although warnings can be lifted after one hour without a warning. If a walker receives three warnings and continues to fall behind, or if he attempts to abandon the Long Walk at any point, he will be shot by a member of the militarized secret police who organize and monitor the event.
Protagonist Ray Garraty has a special advantage over the other volunteers in the “game” as he is from Maine and is cheered on by spectators as a hometown hero. He gets to know the other boys to pass the time as they all run, each recognizing each other as opponents, but as they continue, the traumas pile up and they all begin to break down psychologically.
The long road has a special history in the Stephen King canon for several reasons. Firstly, while Carrie is considered the first published novel by King, The long road is the first book he ever finished writing – he wrote it as a freshman at the University of Maine (according to the afterword in the collection Complete darkness, no stars). It is also part of the collection known as the Bachman Books: the tomes that King had published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman (the others are The Running Man, Streetwork, Rage, Thinner, The Regulators And flame).
The cast of “The Long Walk” includes Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Judy Greer and Mark Hamill
At the time of publication of this feature, the various roles of the cast of The long road have not yet been confirmed, but there are certainly many exciting names associated with the film.
Cooper Hoffman And David Jonsson were the first two actors to sign for the film. Their contracts will be announced in June 2024. Hoffman, the son of the great Philip Seymour Hoffman, is best known for his leading role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Liquorice pizzaand Jonsson’s achievement includes the wonderful romantic drama Rye Trail and the sci-fi horror of Fede Álvarez Alien: Romulus.
The supporting cast was completed a few weeks later. Deadline reported on the new additions: Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit), Charlie Plummer (Spontaneous), Garrett Wareing (manifest), Tut Nyuot (Dark money), Ben Wang (Girls Club – Be careful, they bite!), Jordan Gonzalez (Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin), And Joshua Odjick (Welcome to Derry).
The biggest names in the ensemble are Mark Hamill And Judy Greerwho both have experience with Stephen King adaptations. Hamill has an uncredited role in Mick Garris’ Sleepwalker (based on the first original screenplay King ever wrote) and has a major supporting role in The life of Chuck. Greer previously played gym teacher Ms. Desjardin in Kimberly Peirce’s remake of Carrie.
“The Long Walk” is directed by Francis Lawrence and written by JT Mollner
Francis Lawrence knows a thing or two about adapting dystopian fiction, having directed the last three films. Hunger Games Films, and he will use his talents in the development of The long road. Thanks to his time spent in the Hunger Games Franchise (most recently with the hit The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes), he has had a long and positive relationship with Lionsgate. He first announced he was working on the project in November 2023.
The filmmaker will be working on the Stephen King adaptation with screenwriter JT Mollner, who wrote the screenplay for The long road as a sequel to the horror film from 2024 Strange darling (which he both wrote and directed).
Another prominent name behind the scenes of the upcoming film is producer Roy Lee, who secured the rights to Stephen King’s book. The long road will not be the first King adaptation that Lee has made, but only the latest. His other credits include Mike Flanagan’s Doctor SleepAndy Muschietti IT Duology and the miniseries remake of The stand which premiered in 2020.
The screenwriter of ‘The Long Walk’ says the film will be straight-talking and rated R
In view of this The long road features teenagers taking part in a suicide march, a proper adaptation would be a seriously disturbing cinematic experience… and audiences should prepare themselves now, because that is exactly what we are in for. In a July 2024 interview with CinemaBlend, JT Mollner confirmed that the film will “take no prisoners” when it comes to bringing King’s book to the screen. He said:
It would be impossible to bring correctly The long road into live-action films without it becoming a cinema event only for adults, and that is exactly what Francis Lawrence and JT Mollner are doing together.
As I mentioned, I’ll continue to update this feature as we get closer to The Long Walk’s release and as I learn more about where the film fits into the long tradition of Stephen King adaptations. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend, and you can keep track of all the scary movies coming to theaters and streaming with our guide to upcoming horror movies.