Spoiler Alert: This article contains spoilers for Stephen King’s The Long Walk.
Summary
Stephen King’sThe Long Walkwas published in 1979, and it’s one of the most popular books that the beloved author penned as Richard Bachman. The story follows teenagers who enter a walking competition that is horrifying and impossible to imagine.Francis Lawrence directed the upcoming movie adaptation, which will bereleased in theaters on September 12th, 2025. The film looks terrifying and memorable and starsMark Hamill as the Major and Cooper Hoffman as main character Raymond Garraty.
Many fans would agree that all of King’s 2025 adaptations have been great, fromthe dark and mysterious MGM+ seriesThe Instituteto the impressiveThe Life of Chuck.However, ifThe Long Walkdoesn’t get one element exactly right, the rest of the movie could fall flat, and the movie could be disappointing.
Stephen King Loves The Long Walk Trailer, But The Movie Needs To Follow The Book’s Harsh And Heartbreaking Ending
In a Threads post, Stephen King wrote that the second trailer forThe Long Walkis “awesome,“and it definitely appears to be a solid and well-crafted adaptation. However, in order for the film to succeed,the movie needs to follow the book’s ending.After the main character, Ray Garraty, wins the competition, he sees a strange being in front of him, and continues walking before he decides to run.
Fans are always curiousif a new King adaptation will feature the exact same conclusionor make a sweeping shift.The Long Walkis a harsh and upsetting tale, and since King was thinking about the body count of the Vietnam War when he penned the novel, that’s inevitable.But, if the movie doesn’t end exactly the same way as the book, the story won’t feel as powerful or meaningful.The Long WalkandSquid Gameare both about a dark competitionand it’s essential that audiences feel the trauma that Garraty has experienced.
Fans have shared their interpretations ofThe Long Walkending onReddit, and many wonder if Garraty lives or dies at the end. It’s interesting to examine how Garraty has been affected by this contest and what could happen to him next. Many agree that no matter what, the character’s life has been ruined forever, and he can’t find happiness again after what he has been through. Redditor @hostaDisaster wrote:
“I think of it likeThe Hunger Games. The ‘winner’, if they truly live after, are likely a shell of themselves.”
Redditor @sskoog shared:
“It’s intentionally left open-ended. Garraty ‘wins,’ finishing the Walk by outlasting all other competitors, but he either loses his mind or drops dead of exhaustion.”
Fans aren’t sure ifThe Long Walkending is supernatural or not, and both interpretations are fair. Even some ofKing’s more realistic novels, likeLisey’s Story,delve into fantasy and paranormal elements, and much of his work plays with reality. It would be disappointing if the movie didn’t feature this possibly supernatural being as it’s such a compelling way to wrap up the story. By the end of the book, readers feel they’ve gone on a challenging and impossible journey with the characters, and audiences should feel the same way when they leave the theater.
Mark Hamill’s The Long Walk Villain Looks Fascinating
Readers ofThe Long Walkknow how terrifying, disturbing, and dark the story is, and that all starts withthe villain of the story: the Major, who is in charge of the walking competition. While director Francis Lawrence could have chosen an actor who is known for playing evil characters, he knew thatMark Hamill, who also starred inThe Life of Chuck, was the best fit for the role. From the two trailers, fans can tell that Hamill has perfected the harsh character, who is determined to make this competition as miserable and cruel as possible.
Lawrence shared in an interview withIGNthat Hamill’s voice roles prove he has “real command over dialect and the kind of tone and the timbre of his voice,” which was necessary for the Major.
Lawrence explained:
“I wanted somebody, again, with more complexity that just had kind of a weariness to him, but with gravitas.”
Lawrence continued that Hamill moved around as a child because his family was in the military, which helped him figure out the character. The director said:
“he could just kind of go into this kind of mishmash of various people he had met over the years as a child and kind of conjured up his version of the Major.”
