The Long Walk‘s First Trailer Looks So Simple, It’s Scary

“Walk or die.” That’s the simple, striking tagline for the new film The Long Walk and it tells you almost everything you need to know. The film is indeed about a bunch of young people who are forced to keep walking until they die. Or, more specifically, everyone else dies. Ideally, you’re the final survivor.

From the mind of Stephen King, based on his 1979 novel, The Long Walk is coming to theaters September 12. Francis Lawrence, best known for his work on the Hunger Games movies, directs and he’s put together a very impressive ensemble.

To name a few, there’s Cooper Hoffman (Saturday Night, Licorice Pizza), David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus), Ben Wang (Karate Kid: Legends), Judy Greer (Halloween), and, of course, Mark Hamill. Here’s the first trailer.

“There’s one winner. And no finish line.” Damn, Mark. Really channeling your best inner Darth Vader with that line. And really, the whole voice over, too. Again, it’s a simple concept, but one that offers all manner of possibilities not just for world and character building, but tension and action. All of which is heightened by the great editing and music in that trailer.

It’s wild that such an excellent idea from a master like King has, until now, gone unadapted. But it’s not for lack of trying. Many, many filmmakers have taken a crack over the years, with Shawshank Redemption and Green Mile director Frank Darabont once owning the rights. Of course, that never happened. At least now we get someone who can obviously handle character-driven, high-concept adaptations like Lawrence and he’s put together some of our best young actors to bring it to life.

Between The Long Walk, The Life of Chuck, and The Running Man, it’s a good time to be a King fan at the movie theater. Are you going to check out The Long Walk? Here’s the full poster.

The Long Walk – Lionsgate

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