Stephen King. You know the name and you know the stories. He’s one of the most prolific authors in the world since his first published book, Carrie, in 1974.
King is now also the second most adapted author in the world, overtaking Agatha Christie and one behind Shakespeare. Overall, King has written 65 novels, seven under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman.
One of these Bachman books is The Long Walk. The Long Walk was released on September 12th, 2025, and for many, is a long-awaited adaptation.
(Warning: Spoilers for book and movie)
The history of the novel
While King may have published The Long Walk in 1979, this is actually the first story that he wrote. While studying at the University of Maine during the 1966-1967 school year, King wrote The Long Walk. Many have seen the story as an allegory for the Vietnam War, which was happening during the book’s writing period. This is because of choice of teenage boys in walk and the brutal, senseless deaths of almost every boy.
Past attempts to adapt
Many have been waiting for this adaptation with talks of one going all the way back to 1988. This adaptation was going to George A. Romero of Night of The Living Dead but the adaptation did not movie forward. Three-time Stephen King adaptation director, Frank Darabont had the rights in 2007, but the project never came. In 2019, Trollhunter director André Øvredal was chosen to be directing with New Line Cinema releasing. But by 2023, Øvredal wasn’t directing anymore, and the rights had gone up at New Line. The Long Walk would finally find its director in Francis Lawrence of The Hunger Games, with Lionsgate as the production studio. Almost 40 years in the making, we finally have our adaptation. Here’s what you need to know, and the differences made from book to screen.
What is the plot?
The general plot of The Long Walk can be up simply by the films tagline: Walk or Die. But instead of giving you just that, I’ll give a better description for those unfamiliar with the story. The story takes place in Maine in a dystopian United States in an unknown time period. In the aftermath of a war, the way to boost morality is a yearly contest called The Long Walk. For the walk, 100 teenage boys will enter, but there are costs to the walk. They must maintain a speed of 4mph and there are no breaks or a finish line. If they exceed three warnings in three hours, stop, or break the rules, they are shot by the military. The walk continues until one boy is left the winner. The winner gets money and a prize of whatever he desires.
The movie does shave down the walkers from 100 to 50 and the speed from 4mph to 3mph. The movie does also take away the crowds watching the walk, opting for televising. While there are random spectators on some miles, the crowd isn’t present until the end
Who are the characters?
There are 50 walkers in the movie, but that doesn’t mean that we have to know everyone’s name. Here are our named main characters
- Raymond ‘Ray’ Garraty/#47 (Cooper Hoffman): A Maine native, Garraty enters The Contest despite his mother, Ginny’s, attempts to get him to back out. During the walk Garraty becomes a part of a group called the “Four Musketeers”. Garraty’s main goal if he wins the walk is to kill The Major, who murdered his father.
- Peter ‘Pete’ McVries/#23 (David Jonsson): An orphan, McVries has been walking his whole life. During the walk, he dubs a group the “Four Muskeeters”. McVries wants Garraty to chose love if he wins.
- Arthur ‘Art’ Baker/#6 (Tut Nyuot): A young religious boy from Louisiana, Baker joined the walk to make friends. His wish if he wins is to go to the moon in a rocketship. Baker is also a part of the “Four Musketeers”.
- Hank Olson/#46 (Ben Wang): The last of the “Four Musketeers”, Olson is a young, slightly cocky and snarky boy. However, as the walk goes on, we later see Olson lose himself along the way. Olson is married to a woman by the name of Clementine.
- Billy Stebbins/#38 (Garrett Wareing): A mysterious loner, Stebbins seems like the biggest competition for Garraty and co. A self proclaimed “rabbit”, Stebbins appears as the sure winner, but really he did the walk for another reason: acceptance. Stebbins longsfor the acceptance his father, The Major, if he wins.
- Gary Barkovitch/#5 (Charlie Plummer): An outcast from the Four Musketeers, Barkovitch is an antagonistic, complicated character. Being the cause of another walker, he struggles with the guilt of his actions as well as being ostracized.
- Collie Parker/#48 (Joshua Odjick): Parker is tough, hotheaded Indigenous walker. While seemingly uncaring, Parker picks fights with Brakovitch and his tough guy front begans to break as the walk goes on.
- Richard Harkness/#49 (Jordan Gonzalez): Harkness is a wannabe writer. He entered the contest so that he could write a book from the insider’s perspective of the walk. He hopes this potential win and story will make him famous.
- Thomas Curley/#7 (Roman Griffin Davis): Curley is a young boy who claims to be 18. His age, while up for debate, he is the youngest walker.
- The Major (Mark Hamill): The major of the military and the overseerer of the competition. He sees this as the only way to help the world.
Changes to characters
Going forward, I am referring to characters by last name only as in the film for less confusion.
There are some changes I like of some characters. For one, I think giving Stebbins, Harkness, and Curley first names gives them more humanity. But while I like these changes, there is a key character from the novel missing. The character of Scramm. Scramm is a big guy and the projected winner of the walk with a pregnant wife back home. Scramm comes down with a pneumonia, his first time being sick in over a decade and chooses to sit down. While I understand cutting out and combining characters, I wish that Olson and Stebbins didn’t completely take Scramm’s traits. Book Stebbins is basically a blonde Riddler in the book, mysterious and full of strange insights. While I do still enjoy movie Stebbins, I did miss the secretive, purple pants wearing weirdo from the book.
Who wins the Long Walk?
We need to talk about the elephant in the room with the biggest change from book to movie: the ending. In the book, the winner of the long walk is Garraty. After a final three between Stebbin and McVries, McVries decides to sit down. As Garraty and Stebbins walk, Garraty sees a dark figure in the distance. As Stebbins collapses and dies, instead of accepting his victory, Garraty finds the strength to run and the book ends. The films ending is different.
After getting to the same final three as the book, Stebbins, who has been ill, stops walking, leaving Garraty and McVries as the final two. Garraty stops walking and he is then shot by The Major, who has shot Garraty’s father in front of him years prior. McVries watches in horror and is declared the winner of the contest. When The Major asks McVries for his wish, he wishes for a nearby carbine gun and kills The Major. He then walks away, having brought Garraty’s wish into existence.
I personally love both endings but I think that the film’s ending is much less abrupt and more definitive.
Overall thoughts and opinions
I read The Long Walk and finished it on September 14th. Later that evening I saw the adaptation. This may be a controversial opinion, but this may be my favorite King story I have read by far. And I know what you’re thinking, it’s technically under his Richard Bachman alias. I believe that Lawrence and the cast of actors did bring the tension and dread of the story to life. The Long Walk is by no means an easy or enjoyable read and the film is a tense watch. Whether it is Garraty, or McVries, there truly is no winner in the grand scheme of it all. The Long Walk is a bleak, devastatingly haunting tale of companionship.
The Long Walk is now available to watch in a theater near you.
