‘The Long Walk’ Is One of the Best Stephen King Adaptations of This Century [The Losers’ Club Podcast]

The Long Walk is going to get a lot of comparisons to The Hunger Games, especially since it’s directed by Francis Lawrence, the fella behind most of the films in that franchise. But Stephen King started writing The Long Walk as a college freshman in 1966, and first published it under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman, in 1979. The comparison is understandable, though, as both stories unfold in dystopian societies where young adults are compelled by their governments to participate in televised spectacles of brutality.

Plenty of talented directors have attempted to adapt The Long Walk over the last four decades, including George A. Romero, Frank Darabont, and Andre Ovredal. Now, with a fantastic script by J.T. Mollner (Strange Darling), Lawrence’s white-knuckle adaptation trudges into theaters with Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson starring as two of the 50 walkers angling to outlast the rest. Whoever wins is awarded untold riches. Whoever doesn’t… well, it ain’t good.

In the latest episode of The Losers’ Club, co-hosts Randall Colburn, Jenn Adams, Dan Pfleegor, and Justin Gerber lace up their Nikes to discuss what’s easily one of the best King adaptations of this century. After a chat about the book’s long road to the screen, they dig into the killer ensemble of young bucks, its subversion of the jump scare, and how Lawrence and Mollner update the ideas baked into its high-concept premise for the modern era. Bonus: Shortly after, they also speak to Mollner himself!

Stream the episode below and stay tuned next week for another trip to The Stacks, which sees your Losers revisiting the magnum opus all summer long. For further adventures, join the Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. You can also unlock hundreds of hours of content in The Barrens (Patreon).