After bringing Alvin Schwartz and Stephen Gammell's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books to life on the big screen this summer, filmmaker André Øvredal will translate another book to the screen for his next project: an adaptation of Stephen King's (aka Richard Bachman) The Long Walk.
Deadline reports that Øvredal (The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Trollhunter) will direct an adaptation of The Long Walk for New Line Cinema.
Written by Stephen King under the pseudonym Richard Bachman and published in 1979, The Long Walk "takes place in the future in which 100 teenage boys embark on an annual competition known as 'The Long Walk.' The rules are simple: maintain a speed above 4 miles per hour. Receive three warnings in an hour and you’re shot dead. The last one walking gets whatever he wants for the rest of his life. Under these grim circumstances the boys develop deep friendships despite knowing that each of their friends’ survival is a threat to their own."
Øvredal will direct from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt (Zodiac), who will produce the film alongside Bradley Fischer and William Sherak.
On his Facebook page, Øvredal shared his excitement for adapting The Long Walk:
"Two years ago, two people tweeted about The Autopsy of Jane Doe. The awe-inspiring Guillermo Del Toro, whom I have insanely enough gotten to spend the last year working with. And a week before him, Stephen King. I have been an obsessive fan of King since my teen years and now I am going to be directing a film based on the first book he ever wrote - The Long Walk. Humbled, in awe and in absolute fear of failure...
But I have amazing collaborators in producers Brad Fischer, (writer-producer) James Vanderbilt and William Sherak, as well as the fantastic people at New Line Cinema, so it cannot end up as a total wreck even in my hands..."
In addition to The Long Walk, New Line Cinema is also developing a new film adaptation of King's ’Salem's Lot, with Gary Dauberman writing the screenplay and James Wan producing.
Stay tuned to Daily Dead for more updates on all things Stephen King, and for those unfamiliar with The Long Walk, we have the synopsis (from StephenKing.com) and cover art (from Simon & Schuster via Entertainment Weekly) below:
"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."
André Øvredal pictured below on the far right alongside Zoe Colletti and Guillermo del Toro on the set of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark:
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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