Those of us lucky enough to be in attendance at CinemaCon this year were in the first group to catch a glimpse of Francis Lawrence’s long-awaited ada
Those of us lucky enough to be in attendance at CinemaCon this year were in the first group to catch a glimpse of Francis Lawrence’s long-awaited adaptation of Stephen King‘s The Long Walk. A teaser was put on display during Lionsgate’s presentation that showcased the true terror of the film, which is slated for a theatrical arrival on September 12. Now, it’s the rest of the world’s turn to feast their eyes on the incredibly harrowing dystopian story that features Mark Hamill in a role that will wipe the goodness and virtue of Luke Skywalker from your mind. Today, the studio has at long last dropped the debut trailer for the long-time-coming movie that features an incredible list of adolescent talent, including Alien: Romulus’ David Jonsson and Licorice Pizza’s Cooper Hoffman.
Written under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman, the King-penned book follows a group of adolescent men in a life-or-death walking contest. Harassed day and night by the Major (Hamill), the boys are forced to continue walking as if their lives depend on it — because they do. Having previously helmed similar favorites like I Am Legend and four installments in The Hunger Games franchise, no one does a totalitarian dystopian nightmare quite as well as Lawrence, giving us plenty of faith that the novel’s cinematic makeover will more than live up to the hype.
The trailer begins innocently enough, set to the picking of an acoustic guitar as the walkers sit in a circle and introduce themselves to one another. On the surface, it looks like the start of a heartfelt story, but things quickly go south after a boy who breaks pace is shot and killed by a soldier. From that moment on, all hell breaks loose and the seriousness of the “contest” becomes crystal clear.
Walking alongside Hamill, Jonsson, and Hoffman is a call sheet that also includes the likes of Garrett Wareing (Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists), Charlie Plummer (All the Money in the World), Ben Wang (American Born Chinese), Roman Griffin Davis (Jojo Rabbit), Joshua Odjick (Wildhood), and Judy Greer (Arrested Development).
Timing Is Everything
The Long Walk’s — well — long walk to cinema screens has been a lengthy journey with plenty of detours along the way. Over the last several decades, some of the greatest filmmakers in history have picked up the reins and set out on the journey, with names like George A. Romero and Frank Durabont previously attached at the helm. For Lawrence, who hails the book as “one of — if not my favorite Stephen King novels,” timing ended up being everything, with the director previously telling Collider,
“It was something that actually crossed my desk years ago, not long after I finished Constantine. It was when I was doing I Am Legend, and I wanted to do it, but Frank Darabont actually scooped up the rights. People have tried to make it over the years, and never could. We just kind of cracked it; I worked with JT Mollner, who did Strange Darling. He wrote a great draft, and it came together really quickly. I had this window, and we hit the right season to shoot it, and we put together an amazing cast. The cast is so good and the performances are great. I’m super joyful with it.”
Check out the debut trailer for The Long Walk above and see it in theaters on September 12.
The Long Walk
Release Date
September 12, 2025
Writers
J.T. Mollner
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