Mark Hamill says he was a little worried about the ending of The Long Walk, but was glad that King approved... and was even happier about the audience reaction.
Warning: Massive spoilers for The Long Walk ahead! If you haven't seen the movie, turn back now!
"The fact that they made a major change like that – it made me nervous," Hamill tells GamesRadar+. As it turned out, Stephen King loved it."
"I mean, we would've have had to change it if he didn't. But he approved of it, and I'm glad he did. I said to Lawrence, 'If I've done my job correctly, when I get shot, the whole audience should erupt in applause.' And after a couple of test screenings, he said, 'You'll be pleased to know, there was a big cheer when you get it.' I thought, 'Oh, good. I've done my job correctly.'"
Hamill plays the Major, the fascist military dictator who rules over what's left of the United States. The annual Long Walk contest, in which 50 men are forced to walk until they die, was all his doing, in an attempt to make things "fair" for the rest of the country. In the book, Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman) wins the contest and pushes past the Major, following a shadowy figure into the dark. In the movie, however, the Major is shot dead by contest winner Peter McVries (David Jonsson) in an effort to avenge Ray, who planned to kill the Major himself if he won.
It's implied in the book that the Major killed Ray's father, but they refer to it as being "squadded" aka taken away and never heard from again. In the movie, the Major brutally shoots Ray's father in front of him and his mother. This being the driving force for Ray to win the contest, paired with McVries's execution, makes for one satisfying ending...though McVries's fate is ultimately left unknown.
The Long Walk is in theaters now. For more, check out our guide to The Long Walk ending explained. For even 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.
