The Trailer for ‘The Long Walk’ Looks Like ‘Battle Royale’ Meets a Walking Version of ‘Speed’
The latest Stephen King adaptation could be fantastic!
On the morning of May 7th, Lionsgate revealed the first trailer for their upcoming film The Long Walk. The story is set in a dystopian United States, and it focuses on a group of young men competing in a grueling walking contest. Take a look at the trailer below.
The Long Walk is based on the novel of the same title by Stephen King. It was the first novel he ever wrote, penned in the 1960s while he was still in college. It wasn’t his first published novel though. The Long Walk didn’t get a release until 1979, under his pseudonym Richard Bachman. I’ve read many of Stephen King’s books, but this is one that has eluded me. So, seeing this trailer without having the context of the novel, I had a few initial reactions.
Speed Walking
The first thing that popped into my head is that The Long Walk looks like a walking prototype for the basic premise of the movie Speed (1994). I don’t mean that in a flippant way either.
In the movie version of The Long Walk, the boys are required to walk at a speed of at least three miles per hour (it’s four MPH in the novel). If they fall below that speed, they get three warnings to get back up to pace. After the third warning, they are killed. Like the bus that will explode if it goes below 50 miles per hour in Speed, the moderate yet relentless walking at the required pace is a great way to gradually build tension throughout the course of a story.
I think most people can relate to the feeling of heaviness and burning in their legs when they start to wear out. Imagine that, but not being able to stop. Having to continue to push harder with no end in sight. The longer you go, the more desperate the feeling must be. It’s a premise that is perfectly suited for a slow-burn style of tension.
A Battle Royale Marathon
Another connection my brain made while watching the trailer is that The Long Walk seems somewhat like Battle Royale (2000). In Battle Royale, teens living in a dystopian society are forced to kill each other with the last person left alive declared as the winner. The Long Walk isn’t so different, with teen boys living in a dystopian society competing to be the last survivor of a deadly contest. Of course the specifics of the story are different, but the teen angst, camaraderie versus self-preservation, and “last person standing” resolution all line up between the two films.
The Long Walk definitely has enough specific plot elements to qualify it as a part of the battle royale genre. That’s one of my favorite genres for many reasons. First is that intense drama is guaranteed. These kinds of stories put groups of people together in harrowing situations, and bonding over their shared misery is natural. Friendships form and alliances are made, but we all know that the story isn’t going to end well. Betrayals are inevitable and sacrifices typically happen. Plus, with only the promise of one person surviving, the vast majority of the characters either have to break the system or die trying. Battle royale stories are almost always bleak, or bittersweet at best. I love that kind of thing.
Exciting Filmmakers
In addition to the exciting themes and plot elements of The Long Walk, I’m also looking forward to the movie because of the people making it. It’s directed by Francis Lawrence, whom lots of people probably recognize from his work on most of the Hunger Games movies (he directed all of them except the first). So, his work in the battle royale genre is notable. Personally, I’m a bigger fan of his directing in I Am Legend (2007) and Constantine (2005). But whichever movie of his you enjoy the most, it’s clear that he’s a great director with a knack for doing justice to adapted stories.
Equally as exciting is the fact that the screenplay for The Long Walk is written by JT Mollner. Mollner wrote my second favorite movie of 2024, Strange Darling. I can’t wait to see what he does with a story from Stephen King.
On top of all that, Mark Hamill is in the movie! Mark Hamill is the best, on and off screen. In The Long Walk he plays the “The Major” who appears to be in charge of the contest. His presence in the cast can only make the movie better.
And, of course, I’m a huge fan of Stephen King. Not all of the movies adapted from his work are amazing, but many of them are. And with Francis Lawrence and JT Mollner bringing this one to the big screen, my expectations are high.
The Long Walk is in theaters on September 12, 2025. Visit the official site, thelongwalk.movie, for more information.
