The Long Walk movie in development

[Randall Flagg]

http://www.thedarktower.org/gallery/data/513/medium/longwalk.jpg


The Long Walk



According to liljas-library:


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.

[Daghain]

Hmm, that ought to be interesting.

[Aaron]

Ahh, nice. I read an older interview with Darabont where he said that he had always wanted to do it, but he had no timeline or definite information. Nice to see that he seems to have made a commitment.

[Matt]

This sounds great, one of my most favorite stories by SK.

What I need now, is some kind of cool pic of the book to put in the first post so it will look good on the news page. :nana:

anyone got any ideas?

[Randall Flagg]

Sorry, can't help.

http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/756/tlwgraphicpv9.jpg

[Matt]

:o

Beautiful!!

Thanks Jerome

[Daghain]

That's cool! :)

[Matt]

It seemed like fun and games until they offed the first kid.

[Daghain]

I totally loved that story. I'm going to have to go back and reread it.

[Storyslinger]

Can't wait

[Storyslinger]

Can't wait to see who they cast

[NeedfulKings]

I read The Long Walk for the first time this year. I loved the story and to hear of a possible movie is great news!!!

[BlakeMP]

Been a long time since I read that... one of the most disturbing novels of all time, but a good one.

I'm afraid if the movie is a hit someone will try to make a reality show...

[Daghain]

I'd belive that. :lol:

I love that story - I just finished rereading it a few days ago.

I'm surprised they'd make it into a movie, though, but I would definitely see it.

[Ikilledthecrimsonking]

i cant wait for the long walk to come out its probably one of my favorite SK books. i wonder whos gona play the Major or Ray

[BedOfRoses]

As I read this book, I could really picture it as a movie, so I'm psyched that they're going to make it. Very cool! :)

[ManOfWesternesse]

Yeah, it was great news this - though, as usual, worried about just how well they can handle it. Has the potential to be great.

[Storyslinger]

This will really be something

[jhanic]

I just have bad vibes about this, for a couple reasons. First, the history of most King movies is not the greatest. Yes, there are some exceptions, but the majority are not very good. Second, the story itself does not really lend itself to a theatrical presentation. It is mainly cerebral, with the action very repetative. This does not a good movie make.

John

[Daghain]

Yeah, I'm kind of worried about that too. A lot of opportunity to screw this one up, for sure.

[Matt]

I bet they throw in a bunch of action that never happened. :lol:

[Aaron]

I just have bad vibes about this, for a couple reasons. First, the history of most King movies is not the greatest. Yes, there are some exceptions, but the majority are not very good. Second, the story itself does not really lend itself to a theatrical presentation. It is mainly cerebral, with the action very repetative. This does not a good movie make.

John

You raise valid points, but you must also realize that the director/screenwriter for the film will be Frank Darabont, who has an awesome history for making King films. I'm sure when The Mist is released next month that he will have a third great adaptation under his belt. The man is just that good.

No, a great reality show would be getting together a bunch of people who have never heard of the story, say five or six, make them sign a release, and then fill the rest of the walkers with actors who are rigged with FX packs to make it look like they're actually being shot. Then see how the others fare. If one of the actual contestants goes down, shoot them with rubber bullets that have a fluid tip that will bust on impact and leave a bloody mark where it impacts the walker. Since the others will not be hanging around to watch, since they will fear being shot, you can then deal with the contestant who went down and explain that it is a hoax. Could produce some great TV, especially since you can have the walkers who are actors targeting the real contestants and drawing them out in conversation. The key would be making it to where the viewing audience at home doesn't know it's not real until the end.

[jhanic]

No offense, Aaron, but that sounds really sick! I would expect it to be shown on Fox.:D

John

[NeedfulKings]

Aaron, that would be pretty interesting.

As I thought more about a movie plan, I wonder if our sensitive society is ready to see a bunch of children gunned down in cold blood by adults.

I, as well as all of you, know that the story is far deeper than that, but I don't see it being portrayed that way to those who've not read the book.

[Daghain]

Ding ding ding ding we have a winner!

I thing you are EXACTLY right, NK - there's going to be a huge pubic outcry about killing innocent children, due to the fact that the loudest complainers will be people who have no idea what the story is really about.

Bummer. :(

[ManOfWesternesse]

[quote=jhanic;52280]I just have bad vibes about this,
No, a great reality show would be getting together a bunch of people who have never heard of the story, say five or six, make them sign a release, and then fill the rest of the walkers with actors who are rigged with FX packs to make it look like they're actually being shot. Then see how the others fare. If one of the actual contestants goes down, shoot them with rubber bullets that have a fluid tip that will bust on impact and leave a bloody mark where it impacts the walker. Since the others will not be hanging around to watch, since they will fear being shot, you can then deal with the contestant who went down and explain that it is a hoax. Could produce some great TV, especially since you can have the walkers who are actors targeting the real contestants and drawing them out in conversation. The key would be making it to where the viewing audience at home doesn't know it's not real until the end.

It's great Aaron..... right up to the point where one of them dies of a heart-attack from the fright!:doh:

Have to agree with what a lot of you are saying here - there's a lot of capacity to really screw-up on this one.
And also that public-perception issue.... hard to overcome.

[Storyslinger]

Ding ding ding ding we have a winner!

I thing you are EXACTLY right, NK - there's going to be a huge pubic outcry about killing innocent children, due to the fact that the loudest complainers will be people who have no idea what the story is really about.

Bummer. :(

What a bunch of dicks, they should just crawl back under the rock they came from

[Heather19]

I was definately excited to hear about this. It's one of my favorite King stories, and like someone else already mentioned, with Frank directing it, it should be given good treatment. If it was any other director then I would probably really worry about what they would do to the story.

[Patrick]

I just hope the movie makers stay true to Richard Bachman's original story, just like they did with Running Man... Oh. :(

[ManOfWesternesse]

I just hope the movie makers stay true to Richard Bachman's original story, just like they did with Running Man... Oh. :(

:rofl:
SO! - it's Arnie to play Ray Garraty then??

[mae]

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20120319/INDIANOLA01/303190043/Giving-life-literature?odyssey=mod|newswell|text||s

The assignment: keep at least a three-mile an hour walking pace for a distance of just over 23 miles from Indianola High School to Carlisle and back.

This was the challenge issued to Indianola High School American literature students who were reading Stephen King’s novel, The Long Walk, a story that highlights endurance and perseverance.

“It’s one thing to read about having to endure, it’s another to actually feel it,” said Greta Southall, who coordinated the walk with fellow English teachers, Kevin Barnes and Vicky Brenner.

The three teachers called the idea a “literature to life” experience, and they strived to follow the book as closely as possible. In the book, walkers must maintain a four mile per hour pace. “The Major,” symbolizing a possible military or fascist state system, appears throughout the book to push the walkers on. The high school walk enforced a three-mile per hour walking time. The Major was played by assistant principal John Taylor, who wore fatigues and the walk began with a speech by Mayor Ken Bresnan.

Barnes said he felt the project really helped to get the students excited about reading.

“It definitely made the book a lot more intriguing,” said Tyler Nicholson, junior, who participated in the walk. “Because when you were reading it, you were thinking, ‘We are going to be doing this’, it made it more interesting.”

Brighton Brandt and Kegan Talbot, both juniors, agreed with Nicholson.

“It really put things into perspective,” said Brandt after completing the walk. “It was pretty hard.”

“And we only did one small part, in the book they walked so much further,” said Talbot. In the book, the walk began near Canada and finished in Massachusetts. No rests or breaks were allowed in the fictional version of the walk.

140 students signed up to participate in the Long Walk, said Barnes, and those who were unable or elected not to were given other assignments. However, he said he was impressed with the number of students who attempted the feat.

“I’m very proud of the students who are willing to try,” said Southall. “Even if they only get to Banner (state park) before they drop out, they get full credit.”

The walk, which followed the Summerset trail to Carlisle, was divided into several sections to allow students who needed to stop, or who did not keep above the three-mile-an-hour pace, to be transported back to the school, said Southall.

“We had a huge number of students make it all the way to Carlisle,” said Brenner. “I’m so proud of them. They did great.”

Roger Netsch, a teacher who volunteered to help monitor the walkers via bike, said he sensed a lot of the students didn’t expect it to be as difficult as it was.

“I think 65 or maybe 70 kids dropped out at Carlisle. Then maybe another 30 or 35 dropped out at Banner on the way back, and maybe 30 or so made it the whole way,” he said.

Ovan Garcia, who was the first student to make it all the way back to the high school, said he was surprised by how difficult it was.

“It was a lot harder than I expected. I felt like I was going so much slower on my way back," he said. “I don't think a lot of people made it the whole way."

Garcia said his competitive nature that kept him going.

“I had blisters and I got cramps. I thought about dropping out, but I really wanted to finish the whole thing," he said. “It was a cool assignment. I liked it."

The teachers agree that the Long Walk was a success and hope to host round two next year.

“The school has been really supportive," said Brenner. “I think the experience really helps the students relate to the main theme of the book. Which is exactly what we hope for.“

“Next year I hope it rains," said Southall. "That would add a whole other level to the lesson on enduring!“

[herbertwest]

Every 3 months or so, my boss do a "trail", which is a very long walk/ run. For instance 100km, or 24hours or whatever.
It does ALWAYS makes me think about The Long Walk...

[Randall Flagg]

“And we only did one small part, in the book they walked so much further,” said Talbot.
I sure hope Talbot was misquoted and meant "farther".

[Shannon]

Excellent project. I like it a lot.

[sgc1999]

I was just gonna post this. Pretty cool idea.

[Ben Mears]

Next up: The Running Man!

[mtdman]

I would like to try at least a part of the long walk. I'd like to try to go 24 hours and see what it's like trying to walk through your sleep. IMO that would be the worst part. Well, taking a poop in the road while people were watching would actually be the worst part. :D

[mae]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqNwA46Nu10

[Shannon]

Hey, if this is the closest we'll get to a Long Walk movie, I'll take it! It doesn't look too bad.

[WeDealInLead]

Eh, "blatant" is reaching. It's a competition to the death with only one winner. It's been done before.

[BROWNINGS CHILDE]

Looks pretty entertaining actually, I'd watch it.

[Randall Flagg]

Looks good. Certainly similar.

[Ari_Racing]

Looks good! :)

[herbertwest]

If Stephen King‘s name is on it, you can expect that Hollywood wants their hands on it right now. As it turns out, the same is true even when King’s name is *not* technically on it, as THR reports tonight that New Line is developing an adaptation of The Long Walk, one of the books King penned under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.

James Vanderbilt (Truth) is writing the screenplay for New Line, the studio behind IT, and will produce with Bradley Fischer and William Sherak.

“First published in 1979, The Long Walk is set in future dystopian America ruled by an authoritarian. The country holds an annual walking contest in which 100 teens must journey, non-stop and under strict rules, until only one of them is still standing alive and receiving a prize. The story told of a 16-year old walker named Raymond Garraty and the teens, some good, some bad, some mysterious, in his orbit.”

Tracey Nyberg will exec produce.


>>> http://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3495606/new-line-developing-adaptation-stephen-kings-long-walk/

[Randall Flagg]

Looking forward to seeing it.

[FlyerPhan0826]

One of my all time favorites... Definitely looking forward to this

[Ben Staad]

It will be interesting to see how they put this together. My guess is there will be a good amount of material added to the front portion of this story.

[CyberGhostface]

Hope Darabont is able to direct, I know he's been wanting to.

[St. Troy]

My guess is there will be a good amount of material added to the front portion of this story.

I would really hate to see them pad it out with backstory; the limits on what the reader/viewer knows are part of the atmosphere. If we see emotional scenes with parents/siblings at home during a lead-up period, TLW will take a big step in the direction of every other teen dystopian movie, and there are a lot of them (the key is to keep this from feeling like any of those - it should be stark, spare, bare bones - the opposite of Hunger Games and all the rest).

[Cwalker]

My guess is there will be a good amount of material added to the front portion of this story.

I would really hate to see them pad it out with backstory; the limits on what the reader/viewer knows are part of the atmosphere. If we see emotional scenes with parents/siblings at home during a lead-up period, TLW will take a big step in the direction of every other teen dystopian movie, and there are a lot of them (the key is to keep this from feeling like any of those - it should be stark, spare, bare bones - the opposite of Hunger Games and all the rest).

This x1000. It should be a minimalist film with unknown actors. Hell, I would even prefer it in black and white!

[St. Troy]

It should be a minimalist film with unknown actors. Hell, I would even prefer it in black and white!

Not bad ideas.

[Iwritecode]

You can hope for that but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it. They are likelly going to pad the story out, give Garraty more of a back-story and hope it does well enough so that they can make a sequel.

[St. Troy]

You can hope for that but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for it. They are likelly going to pad the story out, give Garraty more of a back-story and hope it does well enough so that they can make a sequel.

Movie studio exec: "Hey, I found this great property, really original and different - let's get it into theaters! Right after we make it just like everything else."

[herbertwest]

Hope Darabont is able to direct, I know he's been wanting to.

I was thinking the same, but I guess that he wont be even involved in that project now that he has lost the rights to the story :-(

[TravelinJack]

I’m excited about this, but think this will be a tough one to pull off. Then again, I thought the same for Gerald’s Game and it was well executed.

[Ben Staad]

While it is different they managed to make Stand by Me (The Body) pretty interesting. A good amount of that story involved walking.


I’m excited about this, but think this will be a tough one to pull off. Then again, I thought the same for Gerald’s Game and it was well executed.

[Heather19]

I can't wait to see this. Does anyone know anything about the screenwriter? I need to go look up what he's worked on before. My fear is that it's going to be "Hollywoodized" and that'll ruin the story. I hope they keep it stark and minimal. Also bummed that Darabont probably won't be involved.

[mae]

https://deadline.com/2019/05/stephen-king-the-long-walk-new-line-movie-andre-ovredal-directing-1202620157/

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark director André Øvredal is set to direct New Line’s feature adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk.

Originally published by King under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1979, The Long Walk takes place in the future in which 100 teenage boys embark on an annual competition known as “The Long Walk.” The rules are simple: maintain a speed above 4 miles per hour. Receive three warnings in an hour and you’re shot dead. The last one walking gets whatever he wants for the rest of his life. Under these grim circumstances the boys develop deep friendships despite knowing that each of their friends’ survival is a threat to their own.

The novel since its publication has become a classic in its dystopian vision, the echoes of which can be found throughout popular culture (e.g. The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner). The book is quintessential King in its coming-of-age themes, zeroing in on the humanity of boys who prevail amid hardship and despair akin to the protagonists in Stand by Me and It.

James Vanderbilt wrote the screenplay and is also producing with Bradley Fischer and William Sherak.

Øvredal is the critically acclaimed, award-winning director of the mystery thriller The Autopsy of Jane Doe. His horror pic,Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, co-written and produced by Guillermo del Toro, opens August 9 from CBS Films.

The Long Walk is one of three King adaptations in the works at New Line. The others include Salem’s Lot and It: Chapter Two, the sequel to 2017’s $700.3 million global blockbuster It which became the highest-grossing horror film of all time. It: Chapter Two opens September 6.

Øvredal is repped by WME, Industry Entertainment, and Adam Kaller & Duncan Hedges. Vanderbilt is repped by WME, UFUSE Management and McKuin Frankel Whitehead.

[kingfan2323]

http://www.thedarktower.org/gallery/data/513/medium/longwalk.jpg


The Long Walk



According to liljas-library:


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.



I think Lilja wished the hell out of this and it happened! His favorite! Happy for us and him! Darabont can be trusted.

[Ari_Racing]

http://www.thedarktower.org/gallery/data/513/medium/longwalk.jpg


The Long Walk



According to liljas-library:


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.



I think Lilja wished the hell out of this and it happened! His favorite! Happy for us and him! Darabont can be trusted.

But it seems Darabont is not involved...

[kingfan2323]

http://www.thedarktower.org/gallery/data/513/medium/longwalk.jpg


The Long Walk



According to liljas-library:


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.



I think Lilja wished the hell out of this and it happened! His favorite! Happy for us and him! Darabont can be trusted.

But it seems Darabont is not involved...Shit! Darabont is Not directing The Long Walk?

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[Ari_Racing]

I saw a Zoom interview today with André Øvredal and he mentioned the filming was supposed to start this September but not they don't know when it'll start. So it seems this production is really moving forward!

Warner is involved so that's always a good news for me. :)

[herbertwest]

Actually he said they were supposed to work on it this spring.
Given that he says that he's hoping they can get back to it asap, I am guessing that this means they were supposed to start working on it "this spring" as in spring 2020?

The video @ 13h40 ==> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrCLotllNPw&feature=emb_title

[Ari_Racing]

How the fuck did I understood "September"? Lol

[herbertwest]

The movie will apparently start shooting in June in Northern California

[Ari_Racing]

That's a great news! Where you saw it? :)

[Bev Vincent]

The California Film Commission has announced the latest round of tax credits for film productions. Warners snagged a $7.1 million for its Stephen King adaptation “The Long Walk”. (https://www.darkhorizons.com/atlas-cop-training-score-tax-credits/)

[herbertwest]

That was a hint, but I bought a month subscription to Production Weekly, and it was written in it :)

[Iwritecode]

I was literally just talking to someone yesterday about how I'm still waiting for someone to make a film version of The Long Walk. They were somehow of the opinion that The Running Man was a good movie. I had to tell them that the book is like 100X better.

I just hope they don't screw up this adaption though.

[Bev Vincent]

André Øvredal is no longer attached to this project (https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/upcoming-stephen-king-movie-roadblock-not-sure-move-forward)

[herbertwest]

It's quite discreet in this interview from last week, hence why it went mostly unnoticed but Francis Lawrence, the director of the "Hunger Games" movies is attached to the project !

It's in here : https://www.insider.com/hunger-games-prequel-director-francis-lawrence-movie-interview-2023-11

[St. Troy]

It's quite discreet in this interview from last week, hence why it went mostly unnoticed but Francis Lawrence, the director of the "Hunger Games" movies is attached to the project !

Attachment of a high profile director could certainly be positive, but I hope this doesn't mean they're creating a Long Walk with Hunger Games-style bombast (that was fine for Hunger Games, but TLW shouldn't be that).

[mae]

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/stephen-king-the-long-walk-lionsgate-francis-lawrence-1235683572/

The Long Walk has new spring in its step as Lionsgate is now behind a big-screen adaptation of the Stephen King book.

Lionsgate has picked up the rights to the 1979 dystopian novel, with Francis Lawrence in final talks to direct. JT Mollner will pen the script. The move puts Lawrence back in business with Lionsgate, for whom he directed The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, which is currently in theaters and has grossed more than $200 million globally.

Roy Lee is producing Long Walk with Lawrence.

New Line was previously developing the project with director André Øvredal and a script from James Vanderbilt before the rights lapsed in the summer of 2022. Now Lionsgate will begin anew with its own take.

“When you have enjoyed the strong creative collaboration and success that we have had working with Francis, you want to repeat that experience as much as possible,” said Joe Drake, chair of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. “We couldn’t be more excited about reuniting with him on The Long Walk. He is a truly unparalleled talent.”

First published under the author’s pseudonym Richard Bachman, The Long Walk centers on an annual contest in which 100 teen boys embark on the punishing titular journey that involves strict stipulations (they must walk at least four miles an hour) and ends with only one survivor. Over the years, such filmmakers as George A. Romero and Frank Darabont had eyed the project.

The book’s influence can be felt in later works, including Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games novel series. This makes Lawrence an appropriate fit, given that he helmed the franchise’s 2013 sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and the subsequent Mockingjay two-parter. Lawrence returned to Panem with the recent prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, which stars Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler and Peter Dinklage and has topped the domestic box office in its first two weekends.

Lawrence — whose other previous titles include Red Sparrow (2018) and Slumberland (2022) — confirmed his involvement in The Long Walk during a recent interview with Business Insider. Additionally, he has been developing sequels to his movies Constantine (2005) and I Am Legend (2007) and is attached to Netflix’s live-action adaptation of video game franchise BioShock.

Mollner wrote and directed the 2016 indie Western film Outlaws and Angels that starred Chad Michael Murray and Luke Wilson.

Meredith Wieck and Erin Jones-Wesley will oversee The Long Walk for Lionsgate. Lawrence is repped by CAA, 3 Arts, and Hansen Jacobson while Mollner is repped by UTA, World Builder Entertainment and Jackoway Austen.