After decades of anticipation, Stephen King’s The Long Walk is finally making its way to the big screen, following a spell in development hell. Originally published in 1979 under King’s pseudonym Richard Bachman, The Long Walk has remained one of the author’s most beloved pieces of writing, in which the story follows a brutal dystopian “competition” where 100 teenage boys are forced to walk until all but one of them have collapsed, while any attempts to slow down or catch your breath are met with consequences that one could certainly claim to be less than ideal. The film is directed by Francis Lawrence (The Hunger Games series) and features an ensemble cast including Cooper Hoffman(Licorice Pizza) and David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus) in leading roles, supported by Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Jordan Gonzalez, Joshua Odjick, Roman Griffin Davis, Mark Hamill and Judy Greer.
In an interview with Collider’s Emily Bernard, Greer opened up about her experience working on The Long Walk, diving into the story’s dark themes and the impressive young talent featured in the film.
“Yeah, it’s called
The Long Walk
. It’s based on a novel Stephen King wrote in 1979. It was in response to the Vietnam War. Our movie kind of takes place again in sort of like a timeless place. Like there’s some technology, but then there’s a lot of throwback elements to the script.
Francis Lawrence
directed it, and
Cooper Hoffman
is the star. There are so many great young actors in this movie. I’m excited for all the talent that’s going to emerge.”
Greer also emphasized the intensity of King’s story and how it resonated with her on set. “It’s a really, really, really dark story, and it’ll probably be perfect for when it comes out,” she noted. She even admitted that her husband read the novel while she was filming, which gave her a special level of understanding to the project. “My husband just read the book, and every night in bed, he’d be just turning a page going like, ‘Oh my God, oh my God,’” she laughed. “I’m like, ‘I know. I was telling you every day when I was shooting.’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, but it’s really dark!’”
Judy Greer Thinks 'The Long Walk' is a "Beautiful, Dark Story"
Image via Simon and Schuster
While the story’s brutal premise is definitely going to be tough to watch at times, Greer spoke to the beauty and depth of the performances she witnessed on set. “It’s a dark story about a competition show. But it’s beautiful, and the performances that I got to watch when I was on set were stunning,” she said. Greer also praised Lawrence’s casting decisions, pointing out how refreshing it was to work with relative newcomers to projects of this scale.
“Personally, it’s so nice sometimes to see movies cast with people I don’t already know because I can still lose myself in the story, you know? Not like I watched the movie, and I’m like, ‘Oh, I need to call her.’ [Laughs] I’m like, ‘I don’t know who they are, and they’re amazing.’ That’s kind of how I felt when I was on set. These young guys are just incredible.”
The Long Walk has now wrapped shooting, but no release date has yet been announced. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
Set in a chilling dystopian world, "The Long Walk" follows a group of one hundred teenage boys forced to participate in a brutal competition. The event, orchestrated by an authoritarian regime, requires the boys to walk continuously without falling below a specific speed. Any deviation results in fatal consequences. The story centers on Ray Garraty, who navigates the physical and psychological challenges of the walk. Alongside his fellow contestants, Ray faces extreme fatigue, the threat of death, and the unraveling of their sanity.
Image via Well Go USA Entertainment
Image via Simon and Schuster 
English (US) ·