After years of being stuck in development hell, changing studios and directors several times along the way, the movie adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk is finally coming together. Lionsgate scooped up the rights late last year and has wasted precisely zero time in getting the project going. Now, we have word that the studio has zeroed in on a pair of actors to lead the film.
Cooper Hoffman (Licorice Pizza) and David Jonsson (Industry) are in talks to headline The Long Walk. The InSneider was the first to report the news, which has since been confirmed by several other outlets. Hoffman, the son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman, doesn’t have a lot of work out in the world yet but is a major up-and-comer. He’s set to play Dick Ebersol in the upcoming SNL 1975 movie, among other projects. As for Jonsson, he’s starring in this summer’s much-anticipated Alien: Romulus. Some of his other credits include Murder is Easy and Rye Lane.
King’s The Long Walk was first published in 1979 and was published under his alternate pen name Richard Bachman. Over the years, the likes of George A. Romero, André Øvredal and even Frank Darabont have tried – and failed – to bring the book to screen. Last year, we learned that Francis Lawrence, of The Hunger Games fame, had been tapped by Lionsgate to direct the film. It appears that he’s going to be the one to get it over the finish line. JT Mollner (Strange Darling) penned the screenplay. For those who may not be familiar, the synopsis for the novel reads as follows:
“In the near future, where America has become a police state, one hundred boys are selected to enter an annual contest where the winner will be awarded whatever he wants for the rest of his life. The game is simple – maintain a steady walking pace of four miles per hour without stopping. Three warnings, and you’re out – permanently.”
Meanwhile, there is quite a bit of King stuff coming to the screen in the coming years. Elsewhere, the long-delayed Salem’s Lot movie will be coming to the Max streaming service later this year. We’ve also got the It prequel series Welcome to Derry headed to Max in 2025 as well. It was recently confirmed that Bill Skarsgard will be reprising his role as Pennywise in the show. Oz Perkins is also due to direct a movie based on The Monkey, while the Duffer Brothers are also working on adaptation of The Talisman. Not to mention Edgar Wright’s new take on The Running Man. So it’s a good time to be a King fan.
The Long Walk movie does not currently have a release date. For more, check out FANGORIA #99 from the archives, featuring an interview with Stephen King himself.
