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Deadly "Long Walk" Adaptation Echoes Hunger Games Dystopia
8 Sep
Summary
- "The Long Walk" novel predates "Hunger Games" by decades
- Lethal contest where young men trek until only one remains
- Relationships of participants tested in dire circumstances

The upcoming film adaptation of Stephen King's 1979 novel "The Long Walk" is drawing comparisons to the popular "Hunger Games" franchise, as both present totalitarian visions of America involving lethal contests for spectacle. However, director Francis Lawrence emphasizes that the emotional relationships between the young participants are the core of this story.
In "The Long Walk," an annual event forces a group of teenage boys to trek across the country until only one remains standing, with any who fall behind being executed. The film follows characters like Cooper Hoffman's Garraty and David Jonsson's McVries as they navigate this dire situation, with some safeguarding their humanity while others succumb to the game's temptations.
An exclusive clip reveals a pivotal sequence where Garraty, exhausted and slipping in and out of consciousness, realizes he has fallen behind and is now just one warning away from being gunned down. As the landscape becomes increasingly challenging, Garraty is forced to watch the executions of his fellow walkers while fighting for his own survival. Lawrence worked to heighten the tension of this scene, drawing inspiration from his own experiences skiing down a steep, deceptive slope.
With its ensemble cast and focus on the participants' emotional journeys, "The Long Walk" promises to offer a unique take on the dystopian genre when it premieres on September 12th.