If you thought author Stephen King was good at weaving a dark and dreary story, you should check out the works of his dark half, Richard Bachman. The pseudonym King penned some of his grittier tales with, two of “the Bachman Books” have been adapted for the road of 2025 movies ahead. This September’s The Long Walk is the earlier entry of the two, and from the looks of its previous trailer, it already seemed like a dour affair.
So leave it to the folks at Lionsgate’s marketing department to say, “Hold my pen,” and drop what looks like an even more depressing reel during its San Diego Comic Con panel. In premise alone, The Long Walk is heartbreaking, as a pack of youths who volunteer for the titular competition have but two choices: walk or die. However, this trailer shows the truly tragic journey that lies ahead.
Among the cast of competitors are Saturday Night’s Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson, fresh off of his impressive role in last summer’s Alien: Romulus. And therein lies my new emotional pain point with this upcoming Stephen King movie; one that’s inspired both my and frequent King adapter Mike Flanagan’s curiosity.
As you see in both trailers, protagonist Raymond Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) and new friend Peter McVries (David Jonsson) seem to be bonding together in the face of this darkness. However, this new trailer introduces what looks like a wrinkle in these plans.
Not only does Peter lay down the rule that “you should never make friends on The Long Walk,” he’s also shown actively befriending and guiding Raymond through his quest to win. Which only makes this line from Cooper Hoffman’s character even more panic-inducing:
Nobody wants it more than me. This is my chance to change things.
What follows that bombshell of a line are quick snippets of harrowing imagery – one such moment being David Jonsson screaming in anguish. Whether it’s because Raymond Garraty sacrifices himself or betrays Peter McVries in his own favor, The Long Walk looks like it’s basically Stephen King’s version of The Fox and the Hound.
Of course, the big difference is the fact that this novel is built on a potent allegory of the Vietnam War. So yeah, not exactly doing the tear ducts any favors when imagining Copper and Tod in the middle of a battlefield.
Also, with CinemaBlend’s resident King Beat correspondent Eric Eisenberg’s “flabergasted” disbelief that The Long Walk was even made, it kind of sounds like your older sibling trying to warn you about the darkness ahead. That claim is doubly appropriate when reading how Mr. Eisenberg feels that this could be 2025’s most hardcore Stephen King adaptation.
That’s appropriate, considering that I’ve never read The Long Walk. I fully intend to do so in order to further my crash course in King. Of course, the question is, do I digest this tragic tome before the cinematic adaptation’s September 12th release date, or wait to experience this potential heartbreak fresh in the cinema? That question is for Stephen King, and only Stephen King to answer – just because I want to see if he’s actually reading.
