On The Long Walk panel, sixty five thousand fans crowded into San Diego Comic Con’s Hall H to see what the movie would have in store for Stephen King fans, horror fans, and movie fans alike.
Stephen King published The Long Walk in 1978 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. It was the first book he ever wrote. The book is receiving an adaptation this year despite its publication date being 45 years ago. The San Diego Comic Con panel went into details about the movie before its September 12 release date. It featured cast members David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, and Mark Hamill. Producer Roy Lee and screenwriter JT Mollner also attended.
The premise is that in the near future, a totalitarian government organizes an annual contest that forces a group of teenage boys to walk along a highway with no end. Officials will shoot the boys if they go below a certain speed. Sounds stupid to enter, right? Well, the last boy standing gets to ask any wish they want, with very few restrictions.
There’s significant excitement for this movie from Stephen King and horror fans alike. That’s because this is one of the few Stephen King books that hasn’t received an adaptation yet. The movie’s director, Francis Lawrence, directed four of the five Hunger Games film adaptations. Lawrence has proclaimed he’s a fan of The Long Walk. This means it’s a passion project, further exciting fans.
But enough about that. You guys want to hear what juicy reveals and events happened at the panel itself. And let me tell you – it was a lot. Along with a new trailer that showed off new footage of the movie, The Long Walk team also premiered the first 22 minutes of the film.
Before the panel started, moderators literally shouted out warnings to the audience in the style and attire of officers from the movie. Along with more usual curse word warnings, the moderators also said that some scenes aren’t suited for all audiences.
Director Francis Lawrence didn’t make an in person appearance at the event. However, he sent a video along with actor Ben Wang, who is playing one of the boys. Stephen King also sent a video message introducing the film, emphasizing how it came out decades before The Hunger Games and Squid Game. He also promised that the adaptation’s “got some hard bark on it,” further emphasizing the brutal nature. And both King and the moderators made good on this promise. In the 22 minute sneak peek, the first death of the movie was completely blacked out. Audience members didn’t see a single second of the death. For those curious, you can find the kill in all its brutality during the second trailer’s 36 second mark.
Mark Hamill, who is playing the major overseeing the walk, said that he related to the movie’s antagonist. He grew up on a naval base in Japan, and personally saw high ranking officers force recruits to run around in the hot summer sun until they vomited, then make them eat their own vomit.
The panel served as a way to tell audiences that the film adaptation won’t compromise the creative vision of the book. Mollner assured the audience that the book’s brutality and violence would carry over into the film version. If the movie had gotten into the wrong hands, the film could’ve been neutered. Mollner said that all the themes of terror and hopelessness will accompany the themes of friendship, love and beauty in the film. The Long Walk is shaping up as a celebration of Stephen King’s legacy as an author and his influence on millions around the globe.
