The Long Walk: The Biggest Changes from Page to Screen
Any astute Stephen King fan could tell you that his very first published novel was Carrie (1974), but what you may not know that it wasn’t his very first written. That acclaim goes to the The Long walk. King begun it sometikme between 1966–67 during his freshman year at the University of Maine, a full eight years before his first published novel, Carrie, hit shelves.
You see, the book never actaully got published untill it was collected in 1985 in the hardcover omnibus The Bachman Books, sold under King’s pen name, Richard Bachman. King created Bachman as a way to publish more books, with out saturating the “King” brand, and to avoid the high brow of writters who belived that authors should only pubish one book a year.
Since it’s debute, the novel’s film rights have been passed around more time than a copy of playboy at a monastery, with George A. Romero, Frank Darabont, James Vanderbilt and André Øvredal all being attcahed to direct at some point or another. Finaly, Lionsgate and director Francis Lawrence have nailed this one in the can, with the film pegged to hit cinemas this coming September.
Though, like many novels adapations, certain things have to change, wether that’s to do with pacing, budget limits, Stephen King’s close oversight or just becuase the content would be impossible to bring to the big screen (I’m looking at you IT… no body want’s a page to screen adaption of that crazy stuff!!!) The Long Walk is no different, and here, Lawrence decided to move the films purpous along, changing it’s war allegory to “financial desperation”, something we all know, feel and fear in todays rapidly changing global economy.
Speaking with Screen Rant, Lawrence said:
“What is the reason you would do something like this and join a walk like this? Originally, when written, it was about young men going off to war – and that will always be a part of it. There’s always going to be a war element to this story, and you can feel it when you watch the movie. But for me, it’s about, ‘Would you do something like this to put food on the table? Would you do something like this to put a roof over your head?’ With the loss of the American Dream, and with it being so expensive to live not just in America but around the world, I think that those themes are very relatable. That makes it a very relevant story to tell.”
This new take has forced a lean, faithful adaptation that rides on character, not spectacle. The team re-focused the story’s motive from wartime allegory to “financial nihilism”, which expalins why desperate kids would risk everything just to keep a roof over their heads.
It’s certainly not the only change, some characters have been removed, or combined, with only half the 100 boys taking part in the walk. However the heart and soul (and ambigous ending) will be here for everyone to enjoy!
Chekc out the fascinating full Screen Rant cover story by Rob Keyes (interviews with Francis Lawrence, JT Mollner, Roy Lee, and cast): https://screenrant.com/stephen-king-the-long-walk-movie-cover-story-exclusive-preview/
The Long Walk is scheduled to be released September 12th 2025.
Hilly Horror
Hilly love of horror knows no bounds. As a massive fan of slasher and ghost films, she has watched all of the Wrong Turn and Paranormal Activity films. Now that’s bravery at a scale we can’t beat.
