View Full Version : Frank Darabont and Stephen King to reteam again for 'The Long Walk'
Watashi
12-01-2007, 08:16 PM
Directing three Stephen King movies (four, if you count an early short film) wasn't enough for Frank Darabont. Perhaps cinema's biggest fan of the horror author, the Mist writer/director has plans for another Stephen King movie. This one, written under King's pseudonym Richard Bachman, is the sci-fi tale The Long Walk.
The story tells of a futuristic foot race where competitors are shot when they stop walking. The last man walking wins. A movie constantly on the go is the next hurdle Darabont faces.
"Certainly you can't get too handheld with it because then you'd have an image bouncing for the length of a feature film," said Darabont. "I think there's got to be some stabilizing gizmos that I can use to get some of that coverage but I'm already thinking about that."
Darabont distinguished between his styles for The Mist and his previous films. Where he spent time carefully planning on The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, he took a fast and furious approach to The Mist. That style would also be appropriate for The Long Walk.
"That would also be, I think, probably the more ragged and loose and documentary kind of feel. It would probably be an even lower budget than this one was."
With Fahrenheit 451 set to be Darabont's next project, The Long Walk could still be a long way off. "That right now is still in the future. That's on one of the back burners for now. It probably won't be too long but before I do that, I'm hoping to get Fahrenheit 451 rolling next year."
Darabont should only adapt King material from now on. Anyone read the source material?
megladon8
12-01-2007, 08:17 PM
No, I have not read the book.
But having those two names togther is enough to get my ass in the seat.
I've read the book. They're gonna reeeeaaaaally need to pump it up to make it an interesting cinematic adaptation. It's not structured very typically: not a lot of exterior drama. It's all inside the main character's head, as he watches (and participates) in this horrifying event of walking. I don't really see it working without major major revisions.
Rowland
12-01-2007, 08:20 PM
This is my favorite Stephen King book. I have a film adaptation imagined in my head that is brilliant. I dare Darabont to top it. :twisted:
number8
12-01-2007, 08:22 PM
I'm interested just for that fact alone. A movie where the characters don't stop walking for the entire film is very interesting. It's gonna be like West Wing: The Movie.
Rowland
12-01-2007, 08:24 PM
Hopefully he won't carry over the aesthetic he used for The Mist (inspired by television drama). I think it will work better with a more lyrical approach. That's how I've always envisioned it, anyway.
Kurosawa Fan
12-01-2007, 08:26 PM
LOVED the short story. I'm a bit scared of a film adaptation, but I think it could be done.
LOVED the short story. I'm a bit scared of a film adaptation, but I think it could be done.
How?
I ask you that, too, Rowland. How are you guys imagining this could be successful? I'm legitimately, pressingly curious. Nothing really happens. A bunch of kids are walking, they all get shot except one, the end. Am I missing something? That's the gist of the entire narrative right there. There's no bad guys, no big conflicts, no drama, no revelations... nothing, really, except a premise and psychology.
Rowland
12-01-2007, 08:31 PM
Am I missing something? That's the gist of the entire narrative right there. There's no bad guys, no big conflicts, no drama, no revelations... nothing, really, except a premise and psychology.You must not remember the story too well, because there is all sorts of drama, with assorted conflicts and revelations. I thought it was incredibly powerful, the ending had me in tears. It's about so much, and it expresses everything with such elegance and sustained tension.
You must not remember the story too well, because there is all sorts of drama, with assorted conflicts and revelations. I thought it was incredibly powerful, the ending had me in tears.
Perhaps... maybe I'll pick it up again in the not-too-distant future. I read it in high school. Possibly junior high.
megladon8
12-01-2007, 08:34 PM
Which book was this story in?
Watashi
12-01-2007, 08:34 PM
So this is basically Gerry meets Battle Royale?
I think it could be done.
Rowland
12-01-2007, 08:34 PM
Which book was this story in?It's a book, not a short story.
Kurosawa Fan
12-01-2007, 08:36 PM
It's a book, not a short story.
Technically it's a novella. It was (and still is, I presume) in The Bachman Books. Funny enough, it was my second favorite story in the book, after Rage.
It's a book, not a short story.
It's a "novella". It was first featured in "The Bachman Books" first, which is how I read it, but now it's released on its own.
Edit: D'oh!
Kurosawa Fan
12-01-2007, 08:38 PM
Am I missing something? That's the gist of the entire narrative right there. There's no bad guys, no big conflicts, no drama, no revelations... nothing, really, except a premise and psychology.
As Rowland said, there's a bit more to it than that. I see it as this slow burn of a film, gradually building suspense and emotion. In the spirit of Elephant, I guess, though that's not exactly what I'm thinking about.
Rowland
12-01-2007, 08:39 PM
Technically it's a novella. It was (and still is, I presume) in The Bachman Books. Funny enough, it was my second favorite story in the book, after Rage.I believe they were first released separately as novels by the pseudonym Richard Bachman. They were later collected and released as The Bachman Books by Stephen King.
Kurosawa Fan
12-01-2007, 08:41 PM
I believe they were first released separately as novels by the pseudonym Richard Bachman. They were later collected and released as The Bachman Books by Stephen King.
This could certainly be true. I don't know exactly how they were originally released. The Bachman Books was how I became aware of them.
...after Rage.
I really liked The Running Man, if only because it was vastly more complex than the movie. I should really reread a lot of those. I don't remember caring for Roadwork much.
Kurosawa Fan
12-01-2007, 08:43 PM
I really liked The Running Man, if only because it was vastly more complex than the movie. I should really reread a lot of those. I don't remember caring for Roadwork much.
I don't remember either of those very well. I read it in the beginning of high school, which would have been about 12 years ago now. Both Rage and The Long Walk were unforgettable though.
Rowland
12-01-2007, 08:44 PM
As Rowland said, there's a bit more to it than that. I see it as this slow burn of a film, gradually building suspense and emotion. In the spirit of Elephant, I guess, though that's not exactly what I'm thinking about.There's a lot more to it than that, I think. Its examination of fascism, and its portrayal of the developing disillusionment with it amongst the boys during the walk is multifaceted and cumulatively devastating.
This movie sounds interesting. It reminded me of another King story called The Running Man. I haven't read The Long Walk yet though.
I also read this (http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1687229,00.html) King interview recently in Time. He talks a bit about his new projects and about his work with Darabont.
Ezee E
12-01-2007, 11:16 PM
Gerry + Battle Royale sounds masterful.
Rowland
12-01-2007, 11:58 PM
Gerry + Battle Royale sounds masterful.It's not really like Battle Royale though, because the kids don't fight (at least not physically). They just have to keep walking, at all costs...
Ezee E
12-02-2007, 12:00 AM
It's not really like Battle Royale though, because the kids don't fight (at least not physically). They just have to keep walking, at all costs...
That doesn't sound cool then.
Rowland
12-02-2007, 12:05 AM
That doesn't sound cool then.I don't know if it's a "cool" story. It's a pretty horrifying one though.
lovejuice
12-02-2007, 04:44 PM
There's a lot more to it than that, I think. Its examination of fascism, and its portrayal of the developing disillusionment with it amongst the boys during the walk is multifaceted and cumulatively devastating.
indeed. it's very different from their previous collaborations. i like most of those, but i have doubt at the moment.
MadMan
12-03-2007, 04:16 PM
With Fahrenheit 451 set to be Darabont's next project, The Long Walk could still be a long way off. "That right now is still in the future. That's on one of the back burners for now. It probably won't be too long but before I do that, I'm hoping to get Fahrenheit 451 rolling next year.This part of the article excites me more than the fact he's going to make another King adaption. But the guy seems to have a great track record with them why stop? I haven't read The Long Walk but I have heard of it and other Bachman books.
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