AtSan Diego Comic-Con, it was revealed that Stephen King was very involved in the casting behindThe Long Walk. The story is a dystopian novel that King originallypublished under the pseudonym Richard Bachman. It focuses on the story of a group of boys made to participate in a competition called The Long Walk, where they must continuously walk or risk being shot.
Over the years,The Long Walkhas gone through multiple adaptation attempts. First,Night of the Living Deaddirector George A. Romerowas approached to direct a version of the book, but that never came to fruition. Over 15 years went by before the rights were secured by Frank Darabont in 2007.
Darabont’s rights eventually lapsed when his project never came to fruition, and control over the story went to New Line Cinema in 2018. New Line even announced a director in 2019,marking the third attempt to make the film.This also failed, however, andthis year’sThe Long Walkis now being helmed by Francis Lawrence with Lionsgate.
In an SDCC panel thatScreenRantattended, more information about the casting ofThe Long Walkwas revealed. According to actor Mark Hamill,King got to have approval over the film’s casting,and he knew he wanted Hamill to be the Major. Hamill elaborates below:
“The heart and the soul of the movie is their experiences in these unimaginable circumstances.”
What This Means For The Long Walk
Hamill Was Also In The Life Of Chuck
Hamill’s the Major is the main antagonist in the upcoming King adaptation, andThe Long Walktrailersindicate that his performance will be pretty chilling. As Hamill references, it’s actually the second King adaptation that the actor is in this year. The first wasThe Life of Chuck, which came out in theaters last month.
While it is not clear whether this trend will be ongoing or not, this creates a trend in Hamill’s career. The actor focused his panel response on how this shows off King’s versatility as a writer, but it also highlights how Hamill still chooses interesting roles.
As for the rest of the cast,The Long Walkwillinclude performances from Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Charlie Plummer, Garrett Wareing, Ben Wang, Judy Greer, Josh Hamilton, and Roman Griffin Davis. This is a pretty deep ensemble cast that will have to deliver dramatic performances, so it makes sense that King would have gotten some sway.
Our Take On The Long Walk Casting
This Is A Strong Ensemble
FromThe Long Walktrailers alone, it is clear that several of the main cast members have great chemistry. This is witnessed most visibly in the relationship between Peter McVries and Raymond Garraty, who interact throughout the early clips of the film.
These companion-type relationships will have to rub up against the antagonism that the Major has towards the other characters on screen. Hamill is a skilled actor who has taken on a wide range of roles, so he should have what it takes to play the Major inThe Long Walk. But most importantly, he goes into this with King’s seal of approval.
