Lionsgate

'The Long Walk' trailer promises horrifying new Stephen King classic film

Originally posted on Nerdist | By Tai Gooden | Last updated May 7, 2025 12:55 PM ET

There are many Stephen King adaptations that are now themselves classics, like The Shining and Carrie. He’s truly a maestro of horror whose works continue to resonate with people as more of them come to life. The recent Salem’s Lot film was a pretty good time, after all. However, the next Stephen King story to come to the big screen is a milestone in his career because it was his first written novel. The trailer for The Long Walk captures the book’s absolutely unsettling nature and promises to be another Stephen King classic film.

For those who aren’t familiar, King published the book back in 1979 under the pen name Richard Bachman. It is set in an alternate and dystopian version of the United States and follows the Long Walk, a televised contest that features 100 young fellas walking U.S. Route 1.

Basically, the last man standing is the winner but it is pretty hard to make it there. Why? Well, you cannot stop and your pace must stay above a certain average the entire time. They get a couple of warnings and if they don’t keep going, they face elimination. And yes, that’s exactly what you think it is.

The trailer for The Long Walk stars Mark Hamill as the Major, the leader of a totalitarian regime that’s in charge of this vile contest. We get to meet several contestants, including our protagonist Raymond Garraty, played by Cooper Hoffman. And the violence and circumstances are dire. Just imagine walking nearly around the clock with no end and what that does to your body and mental stability. Yikes.

Here’s a quick synopsis for The Long Walk from Lionsgate:

From the highly anticipated adaptation of master storyteller Stephen King’s first-written novel, and Francis Lawrence, the visionary director of The Hunger Games franchise films (Catching Fire, Mockingjay – Pts. 1 & 2 , and The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes), comes THE LONG WALK, an intense, chilling, and emotional thriller that challenges audiences to confront a haunting question: how far could you go?