One of the next big Stephen King adaptations tackles his dystopian 1979 book The Long Walk and has just been dated for this September. During Lionsgate's recent CinemaCon presentation, the company revealed that The Long Walk has received a September 12 theatrical date, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Francis Lawrence, best known for directing several of The Hunger Games films, is directing The Long Walk. The film stars David Jonsson, Cooper Hoffman, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Ben Wang, Charlie Plummer, Roman Griffin, Jordan Gonzalez, and Josh Hamilton. Judy Greer and Mark Hamill also star.
The Long Walk is set an alternate version of the United States, one ruled by a totalitarian regime that forces an annual contest known as the "Long Walk," wherein 100 teen boys must walk along U.S. Route 1 without stopping.
Not only that, but they have to maintain an average speed of 4 miles per hour. If any of the walkers drops below that speed for too long, they get a single warning, multiple warnings and they're eliminated—meaning the security guard on duty shoots them dead.
Lionsgate describes the film as “an intense, chilling, and emotional thriller that challenges audiences to confront a haunting question: how far could you go?"
It's a chilling premise and not dissimilar to The Hunger Games, making Lawrence a great pick for director. The filmmaker has been eager to adapt the book for more than two decades, revealing that it is one of his favorite King novels. The screeplay was written by JT Mollner, best known for his acclaimed 2024 psychological thriller Strange Darling.
Also of note is that The Long Walk was reportedly the first novel that King ever wrote, albeit not the first one to be published.
Hamill is playing one of the film's main antagonists, specifically joining the film because he liked the idea of playing against type.
The Long Walk is just one of many King adaptations currently in the works. Notably, Mike Flanagan is developing a Carrie television series and a Dark Tower adaptation for Amazon. The It prequel series Welcome to Derry is also expected to debut on HBO sometime later this year and Flanagan's take on The Life of Chuck will be released on June 6.
The Long Walk hits theaters on September 12, 2025.