The Long Walk
Posted: July 29, 2007, 00:00:00 | Section: Film » The Long Walk

This was reported by Bloody-Disgusting today:


During an interview to promote Dimension Films' upcoming Stephen King adaptation, The Mist, director Frank Darabont revealed that he is in fact going to helm King's The Long Walk once he has completed Fahrenheit 451. The film is about a walk where the winner gets the ultimate prize - anything they want for life, and the losers get punished with death! The rules are simple - If you walk too slow, you get a warning, 4 warnings and you are shot. There is only one winner, and the story concentrates on a loosely held group of individuals that become friends and enemies during this inhumane walk. One by one Ray Garraty sees the people around him die, and he faces the truths of his own entry into the Long Walk, and those of his new "friends". He is aware that only one will survive all the way, but it is not until the end that he realized the finality of his situation, and he slowly looses his sanity piece by piece.
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This is probably my favorite story that i read time and time again in the past 20 years. I always hoped this story would make it to the big screen or even at least on cable. This will take a real good director to balance this character driven story. I can't even think of a better director than Shawkshank's Frank Darabont to direct this. I am so excited about this. For people who are not familer with this novel, it's wrriten under Stephen King's pseudonym (Richard Bachman)

Sweet! Wondered if they were ever gonna do this one!

*Sigh* You know they're going to change the story's ending though.

Sorry, to go off topic but I'm interested in hearing more about Fahrenheit 451. I loved the book but always the Truffaut movie was utter crap.

This movie sounds interesting but I'm not gonna get hyped because all the entertainment magazine will start hailing this as the next Shawshank Redemption.

I don't see The Long Walk happening without a lot of changes. It's so politically incorrect

Frank Darabont is Stephen King's whore. That's all good for movie goers though as his translations are better than any of King's other films.

Not to mention that 120 minutes of walking probably wouldn't lend itself to a thrilling movie.

Yeah, but each of the Lord of the Rings movies had about 120 minutes of walking, and those did great at the box office.

I love the Bachman Books. Too bad Fear would never get made in this political climate.

I expect a 3 hour Darabont runtime.

Between the many gruesome deaths, the crowd scenes and the military presence, I think this would translate just fine to the screen. It's not just walking the whole time - lots of other things happen during the event.

I'm another person that always thought this would make a great film. No big special effects, a little futuristic but not too crazy, and really memorable characters should make this a neat little flick.

He will probably make it as inexpensively as possible. So not too much should change, but I think that ending will.

Only if the movie makes me feel as warm and fuzzy as when I read the story ....

I love the story. But I just don't see a studio approving a faithful adaptation, especially with the ending.

can someone spoilerize this ending?

I remember that story, I read it after "Richard Bachman" was revealed to be Stephen King. The one scene from that book (short story really) that I remember was his friend who came down with a case of diahrea... but you couldn't stop walking. He of course didn't last.

As for the ending, what happened? Could somebody expand on DVD Josh's explanation?

Well, Shawshank and Green Mile did wonders being faithful unlike King's other films(Misery aside). I bet Darabont has some pull by now. I'm more eager for the Mist, one of my favorite short stories.

It's been a long while since I read it though. I'll probably pull it out to reread it now.

I'm sure Darabont will make a good film, but a film about killing a bunch of kids is never an easy thing to get made in Hollywood. Especially such a nihilistic one.

That's the first thing I thought too. He's one step away from becoming Mick Garris.

Are you talking about Rage? His "Bachman Books" are Rage, Roadwork, Running Man, and the Long Walk. Rage is the one about the student holding his class hostage. Yah. Definitely very socially explosive.

gus van sants "elephant" was about a school shooting and that was a preety recent film. I wouldn't be surprised if one day the rage gets turned into a movie. But it may have to wait until king passes away cause I dont think he would approve.

I actually think he would approve!

Yup, those are the four from the collection. For the record, Thinner was also a Richard Bachman book. Terrible movie though.

I doubt it, unless he got to write the script (so as to rewrite the story). He has taken the book out of print, that's a pretty good sign he doesn't like it.