Summary
Stephen King called his upcominghorrorstory adaptation “merciless,” andThe Long Walkhas the potential to be the author’s bleakest cinematic outing. It was initially published in 1979 under King’s pseudonym Richard Bachman, a name he used for books likeThe Running ManandThinner. King would publish several books under the moniker of Bachman, using the name for stories that often veered into science fiction and outside the horror genre, for which the author had become known.
The film adaptation ofThe Long Walkwill hit theaters later this year, boasting a stellar team of creatives. The movie is directed by Frances Lawrence, who helmed numerous installments oftheHunger Gamesfranchiseas well as Keanu Reeves’Constantine. The writer and director of the lauded horror filmStrange Darling, JT Mollner, penned the script. The cast includes Charlie Plummer, Mark Hamill, Garrett Wareing, Judy Greer, Ben Wang, and Cooper Hoffman. With a story from King’s mind and the exceptional team working on the film, it may prove truly affecting, and the story could leave viewers in despair.
The Long WalkTells One Of Stephen King’s Bleakest Stories
The Long Walktells the story of an annual contest in which a group of teenage boys compete in a long, arduous walk. However, the horrifying caveat is that they must maintain a certain speed, and if they fail to do so, they are shot and killed. As the recent trailer shows, the contestants are given three warnings, after which they can begin walking again or face a bullet when the count ends. Hoffman’s Raymond Garraty, the book’s protagonist, struggles and befriends other young men who will be picked off in the coming days and hours. Moments of tension revolve around tying shoes and walking with injuries, knowing that if they fail,the only outcome is death. As the trailer lets potential audiences know:
“There’s one winner… and no finish line.”
The stakes at play inThe Long Walkensure that audiences will be put through an endurance test too. They will see contestants continually murdered, knowing there is nothing to stop it from happening, and no matter what, they will march to their deaths one by one. The story may intercut the walk with flashbacks to the contestants' lives, fleshing out who they are and their lives before the walk. This would help from a story standpoint, but makes it that much harder for audiences to watch them put down without remorse.
The walk itself is meant to be a horrific, televised event to demonstrate the power of the brutal totalitarian regime that rules over this society. However, the novel did include a cash prize. So even beyond seeing each man marching to his death, the ultimate prize is life, which will undoubtedly be rife with psychological traumas from here on out. Therefore, even when winning, there may be no true victory, as the book was considered to feature a nihilistic ending. While King is no stranger to telling dark, morbid stories,The Long Walkmay behis bleakest tale.
Since its publication in 1979,The Long Walkhas been destined for the screen, with several noted filmmakers circling the project. After working with King on 1982’sCreepshow, the master of zombie movies, George A. Romero, first attempted to adapt the book. While that never materialized,Shawkshank Redemptiondirector andWalking Deadcreator Frank Darabont tried to adaptThe Long Walkin 2007, having proven himself a master with King’s works.
The project eventually landed with international director André Øvredal, who is known forThe Autopsy of Jane DoeandTrollhunter, until it ultimately moved to Lionsgate, landing in Lawrence’s hands. While speaking withVanity Fair, Lawrence also admitted thatThe Long Walk"crossed my desk in 2006, around the time I was makingI Am Legend.“As it turns out, Darabont got his hands on it. Lawrence stated:
I totally fell in love with it. We went to get the rights, and I think it might have been Frank Darabont who had nabbed them right before we could. I fell in love with it, but we couldn’t do it.
However, Lawrence is bringing the firstfilm adaptation ofThe Long Walkto the big screen. King spoke on the numerous failed attempts to bring the book to life, saying,“I think maybe what held it back in those other adaptations is that merciless quality,“admitting that"This is a painful one.“While audiences may be more receptive to a film likeThe Long Walk, thanks to shows likeSquid Gameand the popularity of Lawrence’s ownHunger Gamesfilms, the story has had a troubled road to the screen despite the material connecting with several highly talented directors.
How WillThe Long WalkMeasure Up To King’s Other Dark Adaptations?
King is known for telling some of the darkest horror stories the world has come to know.Carriesaw a young girl bulliedat school and at home, only to lash out with violent powers.The Shiningtells the harrowing tale of a man who loses his mind and the demons that plague him and his family at a secluded location. EvenPet Sematarywould see a family lose their young child, only to bury them in a pet cemetery that brings them back to life as an ungodly creature.
One of King’s bleakest film adaptations isThe Mist, which sees an ominous fog befall a town, forcing residents to band together in a grocery store or face the monsters outside that occasionally breach the haze. The ending ofThe Mistis often regarded as one of the most depressing finales in cinema history. It features a man who slays his fellow survivors, thinking it to be a release from their fate, only for him to be left alone, with rescue arriving shortly after. He’s left with the horror of knowing their deaths were pointless, as rescue was moments away. However, that ending was famously added to the story by writer and director Frank Darabont, withKing stating that he wishedhe had thought of it, as the story has a more ambiguous finale.
Still, when King’s other story adaptations measure up toThe Long Walk, it features one of the darkest stories the author has managed to tell. Even with things likeStorm of the Centuryunder his belt, which sees a small town sacrifice a child to a demonic entity to save the lives of other kids, King may have outdone himself withThe Long Walk, which promises to be his bleakest film adaptation yet.
