When the social embargo for The Long Walk lifted on the night of August 20, 2025, critics and early audiences wasted no time declaring it the best Stephen King adaptation of the year. Directed by Francis Lawrence, best known for his work on The Hunger Games franchise, and scripted by JT Mollner, the film has been a long time coming—Hollywood has tried, and failed, to adapt King’s 1979 dystopian novel for more than four decades. Now, with its official release set for September 12, 2025, The Long Walk is already generating Oscar buzz and stirring up debate about its haunting vision of America.
The story, originally published under King’s pseudonym Richard Bachman, centers on a brutal contest: fifty teenage boys must walk continuously along Route 1, never stopping or falling below a set pace. If they falter, they’re executed on the spot. Only the last boy standing wins a prize of his choosing. The premise, as chilling as it is simple, struck a nerve when the book first appeared as a response to the horrors of the Vietnam War and the U.S. military draft. Today, the film’s themes of government corruption, totalitarian regimes, and the dangers of unchecked capitalism feel just as relevant—if not more so—than they did in the late seventies.
“The general idea is that it’s sort of out of time. It’s sort of like if something different had happened in history, perhaps during one of the wars, and we didn’t win one of those wars, and there was a divergence maybe sometime in the ‘60s. That’s the version of America that this takes place in, something to that effect,” explained screenwriter JT Mollner to Collider at San Diego Comic-Con. The film’s 1960s Americana look, combined with its alternate-history setting, gives it a timeless, yet eerily familiar, atmosphere. This ambiguity only heightens the sense of dread and inevitability that permeates every frame.
The cast is led by Cooper Hoffman as Raymond “Ray” Garraty, the main character, and David Jonsson, whose chemistry as fellow walkers has been widely praised. According to Ivy Scott of Inverse, “the film broke her heart,” and both Hoffman and Jonsson “were born to walk next to each other.” Russ Milgelm of The Direct echoed the sentiment, saying the duo “definitely deserve an Oscar” and that The Long Walk is “incredibly painful, horrifying and traumatizing.” Courtney Howard of Variety called their performances “flawless, exceptional,” and described the film as “poignant, gripping, emotional, and provocative, a brilliant adaptation of Stephen King and one of the best films of the year.”
But perhaps the film’s most memorable presence is Mark Hamill, who takes on the role of the psychopathic Major—also referred to as The General—overseeing the walk. Hamill’s performance as the cold, authoritarian leader who barks orders and signals executions has been described as his “scariest villain yet” by the LA Times. In a new promotional image, Hoffman and Jonsson appear exhausted, about a day into the contest, their clothing and expressions reflecting the relentless ordeal. The film’s runtime is a tight one hour and forty-eight minutes, yet early viewers say it feels like “a two-hour panic attack.” Lauren Milici of GamesRadar+ summed it up succinctly: “The Long Walk will crush you. Period.”
Other cast members include Ben Wan, Judy Greer, Garrett Wareing, Roman Griffin Davis, and Charlie Plummer, rounding out a group of young actors who, according to early reactions, deliver some of the most “spectacular” performances of the year. The stakes for these characters couldn’t be higher. In this dystopian America, the walk is not just a contest—it’s the nation’s primary entertainment, a gladiatorial spectacle where the prize is survival and the cost of failure is death.
The journey to bring The Long Walk to the screen has been almost as arduous as the fictional trek itself. As reported by GamesRadar, George A. Romero was first approached to direct in 1988, followed by Frank Darabont in 2007 (the director behind The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile), and more recently, André Øvredal. Each attempt stalled, whether due to rights issues or creative differences. It wasn’t until Lionsgate announced the project in November 2023 that momentum finally built, with production wrapping in summer 2024.
This year has been a banner one for Stephen King adaptations. The Monkey, based on a short story from King’s 1985 collection Skeleton Crew, premiered in February and became a surprise box-office hit, grossing $68.8 million worldwide on a $10 million budget. Other King adaptations slated for 2025 include The Life of Chuck (June 6), The Running Man (November 7), and TV series like It: Welcome to Derry and The Institute. Yet, even among this crowded slate, The Long Walk stands out for its emotional intensity and unflinching social commentary.
For those eager to see the film before its wide release, Collider is hosting an early screening event on August 26 at the Landmark Sunset Theatre in Los Angeles. Details on how to attend have been posted by the outlet, and anticipation is running high. While early screenings often attract positive buzz from a select group of critics and social media personalities, the consensus so far is strikingly enthusiastic. Perry Nemiroff of Collider wrote, “The Long Walk is definitely one of the strongest emotional hits of the year. I have read this book quite a few times. You’d think I’d be ready to relive the story’s themes and most touching moments. But I’m not. I am exhausted – and the movie deserves it. It’s clear that the original material was adapted by someone who really understands it.”
Noah Levine, digital coordinator at Lionsgate, captured the mood of many: “I don’t often shed tears during a movie. Stephen King is at his best… and deadliest. J.T. Mollner and Francis Lawrence — the perfect match.”
Of course, not everyone is ready to declare The Long Walk an instant classic. As GamesRadar noted, early reactions should be treated with some skepticism, since broader reviews will only arrive after the film’s official premiere. Still, with its combination of powerhouse performances, a haunting vision of America, and a story that refuses to let go, The Long Walk seems poised to leave a lasting mark—not just on King’s long list of adaptations, but on the dystopian film genre as a whole.
Sometimes, the most terrifying journeys are the ones that hit closest to home. For audiences in 2025, The Long Walk may just be the film that lingers long after the credits roll.
