The Long Walk (film)
The Long Walk is a 2025 American dystopian survival thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence and written by JT Mollner.
The Long Walk is a 2025 American dystopian survival thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence and written by JT Mollner. It is adapted from Stephen King’s 1979 novel The Long Walk and follows a deadly annual walking contest in a militarised alternate version of the United States. The film was released theatrically on 12 September 2025 and is rated R.
Plot
The film is set in a dystopian alternate United States and follows fifty boys in an annual endurance contest. Contestants must keep walking at a required pace; after three warnings for slowing or stopping, they are executed.
Development and source material
The film adapts Stephen King’s novel The Long Walk, which was published in 1979 under his Richard Bachman pseudonym. The story has long been associated with themes of authoritarianism, violence, and social control.
Cast and production
Francis Lawrence directs the film from a screenplay by JT Mollner. The ensemble cast features Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Joshua Odjick, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill.
Release and reception
The film was released in theatres in September 2025 and received an R rating for violence and other mature content. Reviews described it as a bleak dystopian thriller with strong thematic parallels to conflict and state power.
Key facts
- The Long Walk is a 2025 American dystopian survival thriller directed by Francis Lawrence and written by JT Mollner.
- It is based on Stephen King’s 1979 novel The Long Walk, originally published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman.
- The plot follows fifty teenage boys in a deadly televised walking contest where they must maintain a minimum pace or be executed after repeated warnings.
- The cast includes Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Judy Greer, Mark Hamill, and Canadian actor Joshua Odjick.
- The film was released theatrically on 12 September 2025 and is rated R.
The film is relevant to Canadian viewers as an English-language Stephen King adaptation released in 2025 and widely covered by North American film media; some cast members, such as Joshua Odjick, are Canadian.
Frequently asked questions
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References
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_Walk_(2025_film)Supports: Director, writer, release year, cast, basic premise, source novel
- Apple TV — https://tv.apple.com/us/movie/the-long-walk/umc.cmc.4j03c6evpx3y9kx0ntde47g3oSupports: Synopsis, runtime, cast context
- RogerEbert.com — https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-long-walk-stephen-king-movie-review-2025Supports: Plot description, pace rules, dystopian setting
- Rotten Tomatoes — https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_long_walk_2025Supports: Rating, genre, release dates
- The New York Times — https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/movies/the-long-walk-review.htmlSupports: Runtime, plot details, release context
- Variety — https://variety.com/2025/film/news/the-long-walk-review-1236516103/Supports: Adaptation details, cast, themes
- Deadline — https://deadline.com/2025/09/the-long-walk-movie-review-1236527521Supports: Director, writer, cast, rating, running time