STEPHEN KING’S THE LONG WALK TRAILER DROPS: WALK OR DIE THIS SEPTEMBER

A hundred boys. One road. No stopping. The Long Walk turns survival into a death sentence.

“How far could you go?” That question is answered one brutal step at a time.

In a world where hesitation equals death, Lionsgate has just unveiled the harrowing first trailer for The Long Walk, the chilling adaptation of Stephen King’s first-written novel. Directed by The Hunger Games’ Francis Lawrence and scripted by Strange Darling’s JT Mollner, The Long Walk looks to be a relentless psychological gauntlet wrapped in high-concept horror—a dystopian death march that turns adolescence into ammunition.

Starring Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Jordan Gonzalez, Joshua Odjick, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill, the film centers on a twisted national contest: one hundred boys must walk at a minimum pace of four miles per hour. Fall below the speed? You’re executed on the spot. No rests. No finish line. Just a slow-burn game of psychological warfare where physical endurance, emotional trauma, and societal control collide on a desolate highway.

From the trailer alone, it’s clear The Long Walk holds true to King’s original bleak vision. What begins as a tale of youthful bravery morphs into a horror show of moral collapse and mind-numbing fear. Lawrence’s signature emotional gravitas and eye for intimate scale amidst chaos is front and center, making this more than just a survival thriller—it’s a eulogy for innocence.

Produced by Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Francis Lawrence, and Cameron MacConomy, The Long Walk marks a significant shift in YA-adjacent storytelling—one that walks hand-in-hand with The Running Man and The Hunger Games, but with a uniquely claustrophobic dread. The kids don’t fight each other here. They simply walk. And walk. And walk—until there’s no one left.

HMU TAKE:

This could be the horror thriller of the year. A lean, emotionally charged blood trek that captures the gut-punch of Battle Royale with the soul-shaking paranoia of 1984. If this trailer is any indication, The Long Walk isn’t just another King adaptation. It’s a death march for the ages.

Lionsgate releases The Long Walk exclusively in theaters on September 12.

Mark your calendars. Tie your laces.

And remember—walk or die.