The master of literary horror will soon be returning to the big screen once again, and Stephen King's underrated novel The Long Walk is finally getting a feature film adaptation. Penned under his pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1979, The Long Walk was King's first stab at dystopian fiction and was something of a departure from the usual small-town monsters and ghouls that typically populate his works. Unlike nearly every other book in King's miles-long bibliography, The Long Walk has never made its way to the screen in any form whatsoever.

Perhaps because it didn't quite fit in with King's image as the late 20th century's horror hitmaker, The Long Walk languished in production hell on various occasions and even had some big names attached. With some of King's works being remade multiple times, it's obvious that he is still a viable candidate for adaptation, but the time was never ripe for The Long Walk. Often ranking highly among the best Stephen King works that haven't been adapted yet, The Long Walk has finally been made official, and a movie is on the way after more than four decades in print.

The Long Walk Latest News

The Release Date For The Long Walk Is Revealed

With work plugging along behind-the-scenes on the King adaptation, the latest news confirms the release date for The Long Walk. Lionsgate made several high-profile announcements during their presentation at CinemaCon in April 2025, and one of those included finally revealing when The Long Walk hits the big screen. Now set for a fall release, the dystopian story arrives on September 12, 2025. This is the same day as Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, and the legacy sequel Spinal Tap II: The End Continues.

Lionsgate also showed a short teaser for The Long Walk at CinemaCon, but it isn't available for public viewing quite yet. Fortunately, ScreenRant was in attendance, and has provided a thorough description of the footage shown. The footage highlights the basic conceit of the horror story, and introduces the deadly consequences of not cooperating in the titular competition.

Read the description below:

Opens on road in the middle of nowhere, with several dozen people introducing themselves. Then they started walking, then we see people around them in military weapons. One person falls to their knees, starts screaming, and someone gives them three warnings. After the third warning, that person shoots the walker.

“If you fall below the speed of 3 miles per hour, you get your ticket. Walk until there’s only one of you left,” Hamill says. We see various people stop walking, trying to run away, getting shot, etc. Including people walking with a gun to their heads.

The Long Walk Release Date

The Long Walk Begins In September

Lawrence's experience with dystopian fiction makes him perfect for capturing King's bleak vision of the future.

Having come and gone on multiple occasions, The Long Walk was officially confirmed in 2023. Not only is The Long Walk on its way, but Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence has been attached to helm the underrated Stephen King work. Lawrence is far from the first director to take a stab at the novel, but The Long Walk is finally seeing the light of day under his leadership. Lawrence's experience with dystopian fiction makes him perfect for capturing King's bleak vision of the future.

Since then, the project has been given a release date by Lionsgate, and will arrive on September 12, 2025. The fall release date is perfect for a horror film, and it is currently going up against two films that likely won't have a lot of audience overlap.

Lawrence is also set to direct the prequel film The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

Every Director Who Has Previously Been Attached To The Long Walk

From George Romero To Francis Lawrence

Though Stephen King's movies have been sure-fire hits since the late 1970s, his 1979 novel The Long Walk has managed to evade even the biggest horror filmmakers. Starting in 1988, Dawn of the Dead director George A. Romero was attached to an adaptation, but the project never got off the ground. Around 2007, Stephen King-adapter Frank Darabont, who had previously tackled The Mist, The Green Mile, and The Shawshank Redemption, also tried and failed to grasp King's obscure novel.

As recently as early 2023, horror newcomer André Øvredal (The Last Voyage of the Demeter) was tapped to develop King's novel, but The Long Walk got yet another discouraging update when he stepped away from the project in August 2023. Now, with Francis Lawrence attached, The Long Walk is finally happening and s a growing list of projects based on Stephen King's works.

The Long Walk Cast Details

A Star-Studded Cast Takes The Long Walk

After years of development hell, the adaptation of The Long Walk has finally begun to cast its ensemble of young characters. First announced to the project was Licorice Pizza star Cooper Hoffman, and he was quickly ed by Alien: Romulus alum David Jonsson. The duo is set to appear in lead roles in the Stephen King film, as Raymond Garraty and Peter McVries, respectively. The young cast likely comprise the contestants who will take part in the titular competition.

The ensemble of The Long Walk exploded with the addition of seven new actors, with Garrett Wareing playing Stebbins, Charlie Plummer as Gary Barkovitch, Roman Griffin Davis as Arthur Baker, and Ben Wang as Henry Olson. Jordan Gonzalez, Joshua Odjick, and Tut Nyuot have all been cast in undisclosed roles. Comprising the first older actors cast, Mark Hamill will play the evil Major and Judy Greer is playing Mrs. Garraty.

The confirmed cast of The Long Walk includes:

The Long Walk Story Details

A Nightmarish Vision Of The Future

Though no specific details about the adaptation have been revealed, it can be assumed that it will follow the novel. In a parallel to Lawrence's experience with The Hunger Games series, The Long Walk is set in a dystopian future where Americans are pitted against one another in a deadly challenge for entertainment. Contestants are required to walk along US Highway 1 at a speed of three miles an hour, or else they risk being shot by soldiers.

The novel specifically follows young Ray Garraty, a 16-year-old boy from Maine who is drawn along by his compulsion to participate in "The Walk" even though he isn't particularly athletic. Since the novel explores heavy themes like the Vietnam War, it is unclear how much will be altered to conform the social commentary to a 21st-century audience. One thing that sets The Long Walk apart from other teen-centric dystopian fiction is Stephen King's signature gruesome edge, which will likely be on full display.