The Long Walkis the upcomingStephen Kingadaptation that’s already got everyone on the edge of their seats following its first trailer. Not only has the project been in development for decades, but by the looks of it, it seems that the team behind the film has nailed the haunting tone. Then again, it’s not its director’s first dystopian “teens fight to survive” thriller.Francis Lawrence, the director of all the films inThe Hunger Gamesfranchise (apart from the first one), was chosen to bring King’s chilling story to the big screen. And as expected, Lawrence has now addressed the two stories, how they conmpare, and they really do differ.
In a conversation with Vanity Fair, Lawrence shared his opinion on howThe Long Walkheavily differs from hisadaptations ofThe Hunger Gamesbooks. It all started when he pushed himself to make a completely different movie: “I’m, like, ‘I don’t want this to feel likeThe Hunger Games.’ I’m really only interested in the emotional value of it. You want that impact.” Lawrence said, before adding:
“Anything that has a contest with death as the stakes, and some sort of big prize if you win, can be connected in some way. But in The Hunger Games, everybody’s competing in a very different kind of way. There are alliances and you are trying to kill one another. Here, you’re not actually trying to kill one another. It’s a very different dynamic, in terms of relationships.”
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Stephen King also stepped in to talk about one ofhis best works finally coming to lifeafter spending decades in development hell. “I think maybe what held it back in those other adaptations is that merciless quality,” he explained. “Somebody putting down the money for it must’ve been, like, ‘I don’t know…this is hard. This is a painful one.'” King also admits there are similarities betweenThe Long WalkandThe Hunger Games, but considers it an “homage.” He said:
“I’d been influenced by1984andLord of the Fliesand a lot of novels. I always thought that Suzanne Collins [author of The Hunger Games books] just had that idea and ran with it. As somebody who has worked in the horror and suspense genre, everything is related to everything else. It’s not like theft. It’s more like homage."
The Influence of Stephen King’s ‘The Long Walk’ Is Unquestionable
For those who are not constant readers, a.k.a. one of King’s fervent fans, here’s a fun fact.The Long Walkwas the first novel King ever wrote when he was reaching his 20s, around 1967. However, the book would not arrive in bookstores until 1979, during his stint as Richard Bachman, a pseudonym he chose to publish books that had a different tone than his usual literary fare. The book was praised among fans of his work, and many now regard it as one of his best.
Calling it influential is an understatement. Up until then, there had beenother books and movies about dystopias, but none hit as close to home asThe Long Walkdid. While most showed a regular adult fighting a system, King put teenagers (some really young) on the battlefield. And he wasn’t afraid to spill blood.The Long Walkfollows a simple premise, centering on a national competition in which teenage boys have to walk. But if they stop more than three times, they are shot and killed in front of the crowd. It may be simple, but it’s not less terrifying.
Netflix’sSquid Game,Battle Royale(in all its formats), theDivergentseries, and everything related toThe Hunger Gamesowe something toThe Long Walk. Still, none of them are as brutal and violent as King’s idea of a totalitarian system murdering teens in the most twisted popularity contest ever committed to the page,and soon the screen.The Long Walkis scheduled to be released on August 11, 2025.
Source:Vanity Fair
The Long Walk
