Coinciding with the weekend following New Line's launch of The Conjuring: Last Rites over the post-Labour Day weekend. During their presentation at CinemaCon this morning, Lionsgate also unveiled a trailer for the film.
Times have certainly changed; prior to the pandemic, studios were hesitant to release two genre films in close proximity, let alone on the same date. However, this Lionsgate project is distinct — it’s not a jump scare horror like The Conjuring, but rather a dystopian horror film directed by Francis Lawrence, known for his work on The Hunger Games.
Lawrence expressed his enthusiasm on stage, stating,
“This is my favourite Stephen King novel; I read it 27 years ago. The rights were bought and then came back up. My producer Roy Lee brought it to me. The concept intrigued me — imagining oneself in the shoes of these young men. The heart of the movie revolves around their camaraderie and love.”
The Long Walk is set in a future where 100 teenage boys participate in an annual competition requiring them to maintain a speed above four miles per hour. Three warnings within an hour result in execution. The last boy walking wins whatever he desires for life. Despite the dire circumstances, deep friendships form among the boys, echoing themes from other King coming-of-age tales like Stand by Me and It.
Cooper Hoffman, Charlie Plummer, Judy Greer, Mark Hamill, and David Jonsson star in the film, with Hamill portraying the antagonist and describing the source material as “nightmare-inducing.”
In the trailer, a villainous Hamill fires the starting gun and says, “Walk until there is only one of you left.” The boys set out, walking and talking, even joking, Surrounded by tanks on the long dusty road, they realize their situation is truly grim as friends are injured and killed and their ranks dwindle. “You walk as long as you can,” says Hamil in voiceover. “For some, the heart will stop, for other the brain, and the blood will flow … There’s one winner and no finish line.”
