'A Very Hardcore, Disturbing And Somewhat Controversial Movie': Stephen King's The Long Walk Screenwriter Confirms Adaptation Will Not Be Pulling Any Punches

As I acknowledge with every new edition of The King Beat , there isn’t a week that goes by without some kind of significant events in the world of Stephen King, and in the last seven days, arguably the biggest development has been the on-going production of director Francis Lawrence’s The Long Walk . After getting the greenlight last fall, the film has started production up in Manitoba, Canada with a cast including Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Mark Hamill and Judy Greer. The movie is based on a King book that’s never been adapted before – and for this week’s column, I have a special treat for all of you who have been patiently anticipating it.

Yesterday, I had the wonderful pleasure of interviewing filmmaker JT Mollner, who has written the screenplay for The Long Walk as his follow-up to the upcoming horror movie Strange Darling (which will be arriving in theaters on August 23). He provided me with some wonderful insight into the making of the new Stephen King film , and I’m sure that all of what he has to say will excite fans who love the source material. Let’s dig in!

The Long Walk Screenwriter Promises That The Movie Is Going To Be Just As Intense As The Stephen King Book

Let me put this as bluntly as I can: Stephen King’s The Long Walk is a fucked up book. First published in 1979 with King’s Richard Bachman pseudonym, the dystopian tale centers on a collection of teenage boys who take part in a popular competition that is essentially a death march – the last contestant left alive at the end promised money and a dream prize. It’s an emotionally brutal read… and it’s soon going to be adapted as an emotionally brutal movie.

One of my greatest curiosities about The Long Walk movie has been in regard to the way in which the film would adapt the tone of the book, and per JT Mollner, audiences should start bracing themselves now. The screenwriter told me that it was important to not only him and Francis Lawrence that the film capture the darkness of the book, but Stephen King as well. Said the filmmaker,

In The Long Walk , protagonist Ray Garraty is one of 100 teenagers who compete in the titular contest. The rules state that walkers must maintain a pace of at least four miles per hour, and slowing down or stopping means being penalized with a warning. If a boy collects three warnings and fails to increase his pace (or he tries to make an escape), he gets shot by the secret police agents that are following along.

With rules like that, one could understand that softening the edges would be a big challenge for the filmmakers… but there is no edge softening going on. Mollner noted that there are changes being made, but there are no compromises for palatability:

In short, you may want to start emotionally girding yourselves now.

‘Is This Movie Cursed?’: JT Mollner Reveals How He Came To Write The Long Walk And The Ups And Downs Of Pre-Production

It should be noted that this is not the first time that Hollywood has tried to produce an adaptation of The Long Walk . In the past, George A. Romero and Frank Darabont individually had visions that never made it to production, and there was a version set to be helmed by André Øvredal in the last few years that couldn’t make it to the finish line . So what makes this new version special? Per Mollner,

The Long Walk is the latest King project to be produced by Roy Lee, with other credits including Andy Muschietti’s IT duology, Mike Flanagan’s Doctor Sleep and The Stand miniseries. It was Lee who brought Mollner aboard for his latest movie, as he felt that the screenwriter would be a good fit to work with Francis Lawrence:

It was about a week later that he met and clicked with Lawrence, and the project was set up to be produced and distributed by Lionsgate… but then the writer’s strike happened:

While the writer’s strike in 2023 forced development of The Long Walk to hit pause, the project ultimately had the chance to move quickly once the labor battle was settled. Unlike what happened with past attempted adaptations, the stars properly aligned for the movie. Mollner explained,

The screenwriter specifically cited the enthusiasm of the executive at Lionsgate helping to shepherd the project, adding,

As noted at the start, principal photography has commenced in Manitoba, Canada – and it’s already been an interesting experience.

The Long Walk Is Being Filmed In Sequence, And The Actors Will Be Getting A Serious Workout

On top of the treatment of the story and the long history of getting an adaptation made, The Long Walk has long fascinated me as a logistical challenge for a film production. The vast majority of the book is just characters constantly walking, and that means that the actors in the movie are going to be getting a serious cardiovascular exercise. Mollner confirmed as much when I spoke with him this week.

When I asked about the workout that the young actors will be getting during principal photography, the screenwriter told me that he recently attempted to keep pace with them during a production day, and he felt the burn:

The writer also revealed another aspect of the shoot that is fascinating: The Long Walk is being shot in sequence. Actors will be naturally fresh-faced at the start of the movie, and he expects that they will undergo a physical transformation before the end. Said Mollner,

I haven’t seen a shot of this film yet, and I’m already planning on comparing screenshots of the characters from the beginning and the end.

That wraps up this edition of The King Beat (couldn’t squeeze in a Recommendation Of The Week for this one!), but I’ll be back with a new feature next Thursday – which will include another special treat. Be on the lookout for the column, and in the meantime, you can learn about the full history of Stephen King movies and TV shows with my series Adapting Stephen King .