(Image: Lionsgate)
Director Francis Lawrence, who has helmed five installments in "The Hunger Games" franchise, is reteaming with Lionsgate this year for another dystopian thriller: the film adaptation of "The Long Walk." Last night, Vanity Fair exclusively unveiled the first-look images and a promotional poster that pays homage to the original novel's cover design (left: film poster, right: novel cover).
Following the debut of the first-look photos and poster, the official full trailer has now been released (see below).
(Image: Lionsgate)
Stephen King originally published the novel in 1979 under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman. Over the decades, numerous filmmakers have attempted to adapt the story, including the late horror legend George A. Romero, Frank Darabont (director of King adaptations "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile"), and André Øvredal ("Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark"), all without success.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Lawrence revealed that he was among those who tried and failed to get an adaptation off the ground back in 2006. His attempt fell through simply because Darabont had secured the rights before he could.
(Image: Lionsgate)
The screenplay for "The Long Walk" was penned by JT Mollner ("Strange Darling"). The cast features veteran actors Judy Greer and Mark Hamill alongside a roster of rising stars, including David Jonsson, Charlie Plummer, Roman Griffin Davis ("Jojo Rabbit"), Cooper Hoffman (son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman), and Ben Wang, the star of the upcoming "Karate Kid: Legends".
(Image: Lionsgate)
The premise of "The Long Walk" shares similarities with Lawrence's "The Hunger Games" series, taking place in a totalitarian future America and revolving around a deadly competition. In the story, an annual event called "The Long Walk" begins on May 1st. The contest has no finish line; participants must maintain a speed of over four miles per hour. If a walker drops below that speed for more than thirty seconds, they receive a warning. After three warnings, they are shot and killed. Each year, one hundred contestants compete until only one survivor remains.
Hamill portrays the villainous Major, who oversees the deadly competition. Lawrence explained that he was inspired to cast Hamill after being captivated by his weary, gray-haired portrayal of Luke Skywalker in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," which made him immediately associate the actor with the role of the Major.
via： Vanity Fair