Stephen King Movie ‘The Long Walk’ Finds Its Director In André Øvredal
A little over a year ago, word broke thatStephen King’sThe Long Walkwould be strutting its way onto the big screen. Now,The Long Walkmovie has found its director.André Øvredal, who helmedThe Autopsy of Jane Doeand the upcomingScary Stories to Tell in the Dark, will bring King’s dystopian story of teens forced to compete in a deadly marathon.
Deadlineis reporting that André Øvredal will follow-upScary Stories to Tell in the Darkwith Stephen King’sThe Long Walk. King wrote the book in the 1970s under his pseudonym Richard Bachman, and it’s since been republished with his own name splashed large across the cover. The story shares some similarities withThe Hunger Games, in that it’s set in a dystopian society where young people are forced to compete in a deadly game. King later said he wroteThe Long Walkin about a week. “I was white hot, I was burning,” the authorstated. “It seemed like it snowed the whole week, and I wrote the book.”
Here’s the official synopsis:
In the near future, where America has become a police state, one hundred boys are selected to enter an annual contest where the winner will be awarded whatever he wants for the rest of his life. The game is simple – maintain a steady walking pace of four miles per hour without stopping. Three warnings, and you’re out – permanently.
Asreportedlast year,James Vanderbilt, who wroteZodiac, pennedThe Long Walkscript. A potentialLong Walkmovie has been a dream of director Frank Darabont’s for years. Darabont had the rights to the book, and hoped to get around to adapting it some day. “When I make [The Long Walk], that’ll be even lower budget thanThe Mistwas,” the filmmakersaid. “It’ll be weird, existential and very contained, like the story. A bit more of an arthouse film than anything.”
The rights eventually lapsed from Darabont, at which point Vanderbilt and producerBradley Fischeracquired them.The Long Walkis a strong book, but it’s going to take some finagling to make it a bit cinematic. The setting is almost entirely on one long stretch of road, and Øvredal will have to get creative in order to keep that from growing stale.Autopsy of Jane Doewas fantastic, though, and made great use of one primary setting, so I have faith the filmmaker will be able to work some magic here.
