In a year that has already seen excellent Stephen King adaptations with a firm grasp on the iconic author’s narrative undertones, like The Monkey and The Life of Chuck, director Francis Lawrence comes late in the game with an absolute showstopper. The Long Walk (2025) is one of the most powerful adaptations of King’s work in recent years. Genuinely, this feels like a new “classic King movie” not only because it captures the core elements of the original 1979 novel (written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman), but also interprets them in a way that hits twice as hard today. A well-rounded cast of young rising stars brings this unrelenting vision to life, further cementing its timeliness.
The Long Walk was technically the first novel Stephen King wrote while a 19-year-old college freshman around 1966–67. Carrie, which is soon being adapted for television by King aficionado Mike Flanagan, was his first published novel in 1974. However, The Long Walk finally made it onto bookshelves in The Bachman Books omnibus in 1985 — a collection of genre-bending stories that King wrote under the aforementioned pseudonym in his younger years. Fans have often regarded these early tales as more radical and controversial than King’s other famous works. In the case of The Long Walk, and arguably The Running Man (another Bachman book), it helped popularize the dystopian literature genre, which eventually gave rise to stories like The Hunger Games.
The Rules are Easy: Walk or Die
Adapted by screenwriter JT Mollner, best known for directing the 2023 indie hit Strange Darling, The Long Walk takes place in a dystopian version of the United States that feels stuck in time. In the aftermath of a “great war,” the country has consistently failed to reach its former glory, both economically and culturally. The solution is an annual walking contest where fifty young men “volunteer” to raise rapport and work ethic across the nation. A speed of three miles per hour must be maintained as the boys walk across state lines; otherwise, they risk getting a warning. After three warnings, they receive their “ticket” — a nicer way of saying they are executed by military gunfire on the spot.
Courtesy of Lionsgate/Murray Close
The Long Walk competition always succeeds at boosting the country’s morale, making it an honor for any boy to be included as they walk in front of live cameras for the whole nation to see. When one walker is left standing, he wins the grand prize of an ultimate wish that is fulfilled by The Major (Mark Hamill). It’s this wish that has drawn Raymond Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) to the contest as walker #47. A charmer who at first seems easy to get along with, Garraty is repressing a deep, vengeful pain. Peter McVries (David Jonsson), number 23, sees right through his agony, bringing the two together as friends among a group of volatile men walking for their lives.
Unlikely Brothers in Arms
Unlike other dystopian narratives, the men competing in The Long Walk develop a sincere brotherhood. Allegiances and rivalries come and go, but these boys ultimately find unity in their walk against a totalitarian regime. They don’t so much choose to participate in the annual contest as the government involuntarily picks them at random. Thus, even when confronting their differences and hostility while assault rifles are pointed at their heads, they can still defy this illusion of freedom that has been instilled in them since their youth. Yes, The Long Walk does qualify as a horror-thriller, though it translates more closely to a hard-hitting, coming-of-age drama on a similar wavelength as Stand by Me (1986), thanks to these themes.
Courtesy of Lionsgate/Murray Close
Stephen King was influenced by the stateside paranoia of the Vietnam War and the U.S. military draft when writing The Long Walk. Although there hasn’t been a draft ever since, the military-industrial complex has tightened its grip on the youth. In addition, younger generations have been totally disillusioned by today’s not-so-democratic society, which has been leaning towards authoritarianism, as military force has been recently utilized within U.S. cities at any sign of ideological opposition. For those kids who haven’t been coerced into the idea that their pain and strenuous labor are for the good of the country, sometimes it feels like you can only beat the system at its own game. This is what this movie adaptation brilliantly recontextualizes.
Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson Ground a Stellar Ensemble
Cooper Hoffman (Saturday Night, Licorice Pizza) and David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus, Rye Lane) anchor The Long Walk with two incredibly vulnerable performances. As Garraty, Hoffman brings energetic wit and a small-town relatability that makes the grim circumstances of his quest within the competition all the more heartbreaking. Jonsson, on the other hand, conveys endless compassion and empathy, never letting rage consume him throughout the bloodshed. The level-headed member of the “Four Musketeers,” made complete by #6 Arthur Baker (Tut Nyuot) and #46 Hank Olson (Ben Wang), Jonsson is the glue that holds these boys together. When even he realizes that it’s time to let go of another brother, that’s when The Long Walk is at its most tragic.
Ben Wang (Karate Kid: Legends) and Tut Nyout (Small Axe) showcase different facets of systemic oppression alongside Hoffman and Jonsson. Each gets plenty of time to shine with some of the most gut-wrenching scenes in the film as well. There is truly no weak link in the cast, with the versatile Garrett Wareing (Ransom Canyon), the relentless Joshua Odjick (It: Welcome to Derry), and unpredictable Charlie Plummer (The Return) deserving equal recognition. Mark Hamill also leaves an impression as The Major, who oversees the contest. He isn’t a villain in the traditional sense, acting more like a sadistic embodiment of totalitarianism that further informs the world. His screen time may be limited, but the prolific actor makes every second count.
Francis Lawrence Pulls No Punches in Brutality
Director Francis Lawrence of the Hunger Games franchise steps out of his comfort zone in The Long Walk. It would have been easy for the filmmaker to rely on his usual tactics, given the plot. However, the depiction of suffering here goes beyond violence and gore. Both Lawrence and JT Mollner, in his script, pull no punches in showcasing how tyrannical forces eat away at the youth, piece by piece. The contestants go to dire lengths to stay alive, even if for just another moment, raising the nail-biting tension as high as it can go until someone is put out of their misery. It’s not an easy watch, yet the rich characters and nuanced world-building keep the audience hooked.
When juxtaposed against the vast, beautiful plains and mountain ranges of rural America, a reality that doesn’t seem too far off from ours is teased. As previously mentioned, Francis Lawrence’s The Long Walk possesses a timeless quality; it’s easy to imagine diehard Stephen King fans and casual moviegoers frequently revisiting this film adaptation. For all the heartache, The Long Walk reminds us that there’s always more to live for, especially when facing a cruel regime. Bolstered by a mighty ensemble of rising stars, this message strikes a chord loud enough to be heard for generations to come. Seriously, this is a huge moment for everyone involved, and Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson deserve their flowers for being at the forefront.
The Long Walk hits theaters on September 12!
Directed by Francis Lawrence.
Screenplay by JT Mollner.
Based on The Long Walk by Stephen King.
Produced by Francis Lawrence, Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, & Cameron MacConomy.
Executive Producers: Stephen King, Andrew Childs, K. Blaine Johnston, Mika Saito, & Christopher Woodrow.
Main Cast: Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Joshua Odjick, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Mark Hamill, Judy Greer, Josh Hamilton, Roman Griffin Davis, Jordan Gonzalez, Noah de Mel, Daymon Wrightly, Jack Giffin, Thamela Mpumlwana, Keenan Lehmann, Dale Neri, Teagan Stark, Sam Clark, & Emmanuel Oderemi.
Cinematographer: Jo Willems.
Composer: Jeremiah Fraites.
Production Companies: Vertigo Entertainment, About:Blank, & Media Capital Technologies.
Distributor: Lionsgate.
Runtime: 108 minutes.
Rated R.
