Stephen King has become such a prolific author in the past five decades that any of his projects is considered ripe for adaptation. In this single year, “The Monkey” by Osgood Perkins and “The Life of Chuck” by Mike Flanagan explored two very different sides of King’s sensitivity, with “The Running Man” by Edgar Wright and the HBO series “It: Welcome to Derry” to come in the coming months. In the midst of all these projects, however, the long -awaited cinematographic adaptation of one of the first works of the horror maestro with “The Long Walk”, which could not arrive at a more appropriate moment.
Initially published under the pseudonym of King, Richard Bachman, the horror thriller of 1979 plans a dystopian future where the only path to prosperity is paved by community blood effusions. A large group of adolescents chosen by the lottery was walking who, once it begins, can only end two ways: wealth or death. Everyone walks on the long walk until just one left. There have been many stories of dystopian fiction on the young people who were to kill each other to go ahead in life, but King’s story depicts the fatal endurance challenge like that where weapons are firmly in the hands of the totalitarian majority.
The development to bring one of King’s darkest tales to the big screen was ironically long, with directors like George A. Romero and André Øvredal once in the conversation to adapt it. It was the director Francis Lawrence (“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”), with the scriptwriter JT Mollner (“Strange Darling”), who was finally responsible for translating the arduous psychological terror of “The Long Walk” for the big screen this fall.
Unless they adapt directly to their work, the author’s contribution to the modifications made to their equipment is often superficial, at best. But when you are dealing with someone as prolific as King, it is natural for him to have some suggestions. According to the film producer, Roy Lee, one of the only King concessions by reading the script was to reduce the compulsory speed of the novel to something more manageable (via screening):
“It is like:” Can you change it from 4 miles per hour to 3? “Because this is what was written in the book. It was the only initial note when he delivered.
Change from 4 MPH to 3MPH helps a more realistic rhythm
When King began to write “The Long Walk”, it was at a time in history when young American boys were involuntarily recruited to fight during the Vietnam War. They were mainly lambs for slaughter, the decision being entirely out of their hands. It is natural to see how King would have been partially inspired to take this lottery system to such extremes such as a Walk or Die competition where 99% of participants already have a date with a ball. When you are younger, the weight of the world can give you the impression of moving at a rate out of your control just to stay alive. It is not surprising that he initially chose 4mph as a mandate.
I am not really a person of follow -up of the fitness, but even I, I know that 4mph would end the competition much earlier. It is a relatively fast getaway. The lengthening at 3MPH is not only much more feasible, but in a way even more cruel. He presents a false feeling of hope leading to the first inevitable death. “The Long Walk” does not concern so much the competition itself, because it is the psychological torment he makes on boys like Raymond Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) and Peter Mcvries (David Jonsson). Give them that initial latitude creates a feeling of dread throughout history because cruelty is the point.
Since the contemporary political and cultural landscape has evolved since King wrote history, it is at random that Mollner and Lawrence would bring changes if necessary. Translating King’s work on the screen can be a successful business, but it seems that these two have succeeded. The first critical reactions for “The Long Walk” were extremely positive in all areas, with / BJ Colangelo of film praise him as an emotionally collapsed adaptation of all time Stephen King Adaptation in his review.
“The Long Walk” is expected to go out in theaters on September 12, 2025.
