Mark Hamill says The Long Walk is a faithful Stephen King adaptation compared to others that we've seen over the years, and that it was thrilling to have the author approve of his casting as the Major.
"It's faithful. That's what I love. I think when you go to see something where they take the premise and then, as a jumping off point – it's nothing like the book," Hamill explains to GamesRadar+. "Stephen King had some early experiences that were unpleasant for him. And he's such a prolific author and such a successful author. Over the years, he was able to gain casting approval, script approval, director approval across the board."
In The Long Walk, Hamill plays a totalitarian military dictator known as the Major. It's the Major who holds the annual contest: 100 young men walk at a fixed speed for as long as they can, and they keep walking until only one of them is left alive. The winner gets to have whatever he wants, no questions asked. The story centers on Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman), who enters the contest with a specific motivation beyond winning the grand prize. The cast includes David Jonsson, Tut Nyot, Garrett Wareing, Ben Wang, Joshua Odjick, Charlie Plummer, and Judy Greer.
Hunger Games and I Am Legend helmer Francis Lawrence directs from a screenplay adapted by JT Mollner (Strange Darling), which has several changes from the book. The most noticeable being that the film is set in a more desolate area of the United States, rather than amongst the forests of King's go-to location of Maine. The Major remains just as mysterious and evil as ever, with Hamill bringing something cheerfully sinister to the role.
"When I met him, I got to sit next to him at the Toronto Film Festival," Hamill continues. "And when I went in to sit down, he looked up at me, he says, 'The Major.' And I thought, how does he know? How does he know that I'm playing the Major? And later, they told me. They said, [it was] because he had casting approval, and he approved. That was motivation and validation for me, that he knew that I was gonna play it, and it was okay with him. That was a thrill."
The Long Walk is set to hit theaters on September 12, 2025. For more, read our The Long Walk review or check out our guide to all the upcoming Stephen King movies and shows you need to know about.
