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2025 has been an distinctive yr for Stephen King diversifications, because the acclaimed creator’s quite a few works, each massive and small, have discovered their method onto the large display this yr. With brief tales like The Monkey and The Lifetime of Chuck getting characteristic movie diversifications, and The Institute getting a tv sequence, tales written by King have been discovered to be significantly partaking and profitable with audiences. Now, the newest Stephen King adaptation, The Lengthy Stroll, made its presence identified at San Diego Comedian-Con 2025, with 20 minutes of footage and a brand new trailer to advertise the movie’s September launch.

To have fun the premiere of the brand new trailer at Comedian-Con, a particular video recorded by Stephen King was performed earlier than the brand new footage, wherein the creator expressed his pleasure for the upcoming film. Within the video, King discusses the premise of The Lengthy Stroll and the way its dystopian, lethal sport premise predates newer common media, like Squid Sport and The Starvation Video games, with the creator saying that “It’s acquired some arduous bark on it.” The unique novel was launched in 1979, although its themes are extra related than ever.

The Lengthy Stroll facilities round a gaggle of fifty younger males who take part in a lethal sport the place they have to stroll nonstop with out relaxation. Because the competitors continues, the boys should preserve strolling quicker than three miles per hour; in the event that they sluggish their tempo, they are going to be killed. Furthermore, the competitors would not finish till there’s just one man left standing, at which level he will get a prize of their selecting. It is an intense premise that is conveyed completely within the new footage.

‘The Lengthy Stroll’ Is A Brutal and Unflinching Stephen King Adaptation

The footage for The Lengthy Stroll, proven at SDCC 2025, was well-received, with customers on the social media app X saying that they have been “locked in” after watching the 20-minute section that was proven. Francis Lawrence directed the film, and the filmmaker is not a stranger to dystopian survival video games, having beforehand directed the previous 4 Starvation Video games movies. Whereas Lawrence wasn’t in attendance on the SDCC panel, screenwriter JT Molner was in attendance, and he had a lot to say concerning the movie.

Molner made some extent of emphasizing how all of the necessary facets of the supply materials have been handled with sanctity and integrity, and the way the themes of The Lengthy Stroll are nonetheless timeless regardless of being impressed by a sure time interval:

“I went by the whole ebook and underlined issues that I wished to maintain. We wished to maintain the DNA and themes that Stephen King baked into his authentic novel. Although he was writing about particular issues on the time, I really feel that relevance is generational, and I wished to ensure we had that. The wonder, love and the story of friendship together with the brutality of hopelessness and terror,”

The Lengthy Stroll will not draw back from the darkness, nihilism, and brutality of the novel, with Molner agreeing with what King stated in his video message, stating that “It positively has chunk. It must. It wouldn’t work if we didn’t go all the way in which. It’s an unrelenting and courageous movie.” With the film solely being a few months away, audiences will quickly be capable to determine for themselves if The Lengthy Stroll is a devoted adaptation that does not draw back from the depth of King’s writing.

Sources: Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter, X