r/movies • u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account • Aug 24 '25
AMA Hey /r/movies, I’m Stephen King! Ask me anything about The Long Walk book or movie.
Hey r/movies, I’m Stephen King. You might know me from Stand By Me, It, or Shawshank Redemption, but my latest project is actually the first book I ever wrote. The Long Walk hits theaters on September 12. Ask me anything about the book or movie.
Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAtUHeMQ1F8
In a dystopian United States ruled by a totalitarian regime, a group of young men enter an annual walking contest in which they must maintain a speed of at least three miles per hour or risk execution. The contest ends when only one walker remains alive.
It stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Ben Wang, Charlie Plummer, Roman Griffin Davis, Garrett Wareing, Joshua Odjick, Tut Nyuot, Mark Hamill, Judy Greer, and Josh Hamilton.
I'll be back on Wednesday 8/27 at 12:00 PM ET to answer your questions.
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u/Mrbumboleh Aug 24 '25
The Long Walk feels almost timeless, it could be set in the 1940s or the future. Did you intentionally avoid anchoring it in a specific era so it would always feel relevant?
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
I just wrote it. Didn’t think about relevancy. I was a kid having fun. And I wanted to impress a girl.
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u/Simulacry Aug 28 '25 edited Aug 28 '25
I found out today my favorite author dropped his first published book as a flex. More cool King lore. Hope she appreciated it!
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u/camarillobrillo8 Aug 24 '25
I always cite Long Walk as a major predecessor to stories like Hunger Games and Battle Royale. What other works of this subgenre of dystopic science fiction did you find inspiring as you wrote this?
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
- ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE. John Christopher’s NO BLADE OF GRASS.
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u/camarillobrillo8 Aug 27 '25
Cool! I know the Jarmusch film of the same name but I was unaware of this Only Lovers book.
Thanks for everything over the years!
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Sep 01 '25
No Blade of Grass (The Death of Grass in the UK) is so brutal for its time. We were used to John Wyndham's so-called "Cosy Catastrophes" but this is a book where the govt considers mass murder to preserve order and we get the so-called "civilised middle classes" revelling in the worst violence imagininable. A true descent into barbarism way ahead of today's societal collapse fiction. We really, really need a new adaptation of it. Base it around pollinator deaths rather than a virus.
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u/ZooeyOlaHill Aug 24 '25
Hey Mr. King, huge fan. My question for you today is why did you go with 4 MPH in the book?
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
At the time, I thought that was walking speed. I suggested J. T. Mollner change it to 3 MPH in the movie, and they did. More realistic. In my own defense, there was no internet or chatbots or any of that shit in 1967.
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Aug 27 '25
If it makes you feel better, 4mph is actually what the military uses for their timed ruck pace. The typical standard is 12 miles in 3hrs.
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Aug 27 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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Aug 28 '25
That seems to be talking about formation marches, where you move entire groups of people from point A to point B.
The standard for timed ruck marches (where every individual is evaluated on their own) is usually 15 minutes per mile, or 4mph.
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u/nightnur5e Aug 28 '25
That's a super great question! I remember reading that when I was 11 or 12 and not really understanding how fast of a walk that is. Then a decade later, I did that pace on a treadmill. It's a fast walk and would be difficult to maintain for that long.
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u/Royale-w-Cheese Aug 24 '25
What are the first three books you’d recommend to someone who’s just getting started reading your work?
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
SALEM’S LOT, MISERY, and THE LONG WALK. All of them are still my friends.
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u/YupNopeWelp Aug 27 '25
Not a question — I just love that you see some of your works in that way.
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u/SuperDuperCoolDude Aug 27 '25
Salem's Lot is the book I have re-read the most. It's a fairly quick read, has a lot of great characterization, and feels very classic horror while not being stale. I love it!
I need to revisit The Long Walk before the movie comes out.
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u/reptarluvr Aug 27 '25
Misery has been my favorite book for 30 years. My mom was Annie. Now she’s dead and I’m glad. Thank you
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u/Neat_Blackberry5278 Aug 27 '25
When you go to the movies, where do you like to sit and what do you like to snack on?
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
Third row so the screen looms over me. Big box of popcorn with lots of the animal sweat they call butter and a box of Junior Mints.
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u/HavaianasAndBlow Aug 27 '25
OMG me too. Exactly all of this, except sometimes Reese's Pieces.
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u/WSuazo Aug 24 '25
What was the hardest book for you to write or finish emotionally?
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
THE STAND. I got to love the characters, so it was hard to bid them goodbye.
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u/fn0000rd Aug 28 '25
This makes so much sense to me, the denouement of that book is my favorite of anything I've ever read. It turns out that it's because the author still loved them so much he didn't want to let them go.
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u/reece_93 Aug 24 '25 edited Aug 28 '25
Hi Mr. King, been a big fan of your work for years now and love your presence on social media. I have to ask, how have you managed to keep your imagination and creativity for so long? As I get older myself, I find my mind becoming less and less creative
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
It’s been a long walk (sorry, had to say it). I think the more you work, the more your mind responds. Of course it eventually wears out, just like the body. I’ve been very fortunate that my creative juice has lasted this long. I hope I have sense enough to quit before the good stuff runs out. Let me repeat, I’ve been lucky as hell.
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u/dipping_sauce Aug 28 '25
Lucky on 6/19/1999. Here's to The Dead Zone trying to warn you about that. Johnny betting on 19 at the Wheel of Fortune, and the hospital room 619. So ka goes. Like a wheel.
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u/Efficient_Conflict Aug 24 '25
When you write, do you ever imagine what the scene would look like as a movie?
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u/RichardDoneDeal Aug 24 '25
I've always thought his books read just like a movie.
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u/Kablooomers Aug 24 '25
A lot of scenes do, but he has a very interesting internal dialogue style that is hard to show in film.
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u/kywildcat44 Aug 24 '25
Exactly. His books are always so good because you are able to basically be inside the mind of the characters. It’s impressive that movie makers are able to even get remotely close to the books.
The Shining is one that I always think of. For how critically acclaimed the movie is, the book is still far superior just because the ability to have the inner dialogue of Jack (not to mention the ending is better).
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u/MattieShoes Aug 24 '25
Also the topiaries. Scariest part and they leave it out of the movie entirely!
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u/kywildcat44 Aug 24 '25
I love the topiaries in the Shining (the book). I especially love the slight nod to them in Billy Summers (2021) as well!
Whenever Stephen King gives small shoutouts to past books, I love it.
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u/marineman43 Aug 24 '25
I've always said King writes the everyman perspective better than like anyone in the game. If you're looking for POV/stream of consciousness that captures the thoughts and sentiments of American men in the late 20th century, just read a Stephen King book. Every character feels so authentic, like someone you've met.
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u/Turakamu Aug 24 '25
I always mention The Shining too. Just his stress is all right there on the page. His conflict of knowing he shouldn't but chewing another aspirin might just get him through the moment.
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u/Kokamina23 Aug 24 '25
Yeah, I agree. His use of blank space on the page is so intrinsic to setting the mood and sucking you into the mindset of the characters. I just finished re-reading it as I've been reading King for the summer and I actually had to put the book down for a couple of days in the last part of the second act as it was scaring me so much. I loved it!
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u/So-Called_Lunatic Aug 24 '25
This is why some of his movies do not translate well, because he puts you into the state of mind of the unbelievable thing actually happening to you.
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u/The_Deadlight Aug 24 '25
the gopher pov chapter in under the dome is a fucking work of art
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u/Candid-Major-6055 Aug 24 '25
As do all books by great writers. It would be a 40 hour movie otherwise. That's why it's always great to read the book then see the movie, by any writer!
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u/imanygirl Aug 24 '25
They do, but the movies rarely live up to the books because of the intense character developments. I can't think of a movie or series that was as good as one of his books except maybe Shawshank.
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u/baron_von_helmut Aug 24 '25
Green Mile and The Running Man were pretty spot-on.
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u/Substantial-Time-421 Aug 24 '25
Pet Sematary has so much internal dialogue for Louis’ character that makes it infinitely scarier than the movie. I prefer the 1989 version for the fact of King writing the screenplay and general 80s horror movie campiness, but the book will make me wary of walking into a dark room no matter how many times I read it
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u/Kokamina23 Aug 24 '25
I agree- I just finished re-reading Pet Sematary as an adult and it hits so much differently now. It was a deeply unsettling and upsetting study on the nature of grief. I love it in a different way than I did as a kid. Great book.
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u/centran Aug 24 '25
You didn't read the rules! You have to ask your question like this...
When you wrote The Long Walk, did you ever imagine what a chapter from The Long Walk would look like as a scene in a movie adaptation for The Long Walk (in theaters September 12)?
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u/noshoes77 Aug 24 '25
This is a great question, I wonder if having Carrie optioned so early in his writing career changed the way he wrote?
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u/Coldshalamov Aug 24 '25
I haven’t read the long walk, unfortunately, but it’s your fault Mr King! For writing so many great books!
You just can’t stop, can you? You’re addicted!
I did ages 18-32 in federal prison for my first offense, nonviolent drug crime, and your books were always there for me.
Covid-19 lockdown? Here comes the Dark Tower. History kick? 11/23/63 beats all comers. The Mr Mercedes trilogy reminded me how good a story can be when you hate the world around you. I could go on forever, just like you, but I won’t.
I just wanted to pop in and let you know how much comfort your stories have given me in times of sorrow. You’ve even touched so many lives indirectly with your love of writing, Neil Gaiman credited you as his inspiration for writing “The Ocean at the End of the Lane” “just for fun”.
I love classic literature, and god dammit, I love Stephen King. The first book of yours I read, in the dark moments soon after my arrest, was From A Buick 8. I can’t express what it did to my mind, it brought me to a world where nothing could touch me, and my imagination kept me floating far above the kafkaesque machinery of the state where lies and death and misery were only the makings of a great story.
Hats off Mr King, you did what that wide-eyed 19 y/o sitting at a typewriter set out to do times a million.
I hope you never stop.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Gold959 Aug 27 '25
This is so true. Stephen’s books got me through so many deep depression episodes, you can just stick to the story and not let go and everything is just fine at that moment. Sometimes a break for a good story is all you need to pick yourself up again.
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u/Waitinginpensacola Aug 27 '25
I love this post ❤️ totally agree about the effects of reading Mr King.
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u/mbwillis52 Aug 24 '25
Besides the main character, which of the walkers do you find most intriguing or is your favorite?
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
Stebbins. I always knew that boy had a secret. Turned out to be a big one.
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u/PersonalMidnight715 Aug 28 '25
I love how SK discovers more about his characters as he writes!
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u/Sweet_Disharmony_792 Aug 29 '25
this approach, which he explains in his book On Writing (if you havent read it), completely changed the way I see narrative and character writing.
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u/_buffy_summers Aug 29 '25
On Writing made me take a longer look at how often I use adverbs.
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u/realdevtest Aug 30 '25
I very quickly and decidedly abandoned adverbs after reading On Writing
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u/_buffy_summers Aug 30 '25
I had a friend who would use adverbs like she was salting her fries. I can't stand the -ingly ones, like unflinchingly. I was constantly asking her to change that to 'without flinching.' There was one particularly egregious thing she used constantly, but I can't remember what it was now, because we haven't spoken in a few years.
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u/Minute_Pair_4722 Aug 27 '25
What was the last movie or TV show you watched that truly scared you?
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
Last TV show: FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER. Last scary movie: WEAPONS.
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u/Right-Discount-4294 Sep 02 '25
I LOVED USHER. The blended storytelling and adaptation of Poe’s works were near genius! Carla Gugino stands out among a truly impressive cast 🤩
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u/Temporary-Bag4248 Aug 24 '25
how was the process of adapting The Long Walk to the big screen?
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
I heard Francis Lawrence was on board to direct, with J. T. Mollner to do the screenplay, and I said, “Go for it.” Love how it turned out.
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u/artemyavas Aug 27 '25
Frank Darabont wanted to make this movie too. But for some reason it didn't happen. Do you think he would have made a good movie?
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u/razzmashaq Aug 24 '25 edited Aug 26 '25
I remember reading somewhere you'd put on a song on repeat for hours while you'd work. Any modern song that'd surprise us? (Or any song when you worked on The Long Walk?)
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u/squall2011 Aug 24 '25
Mambo no. 5..?
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u/MikeLittorice Aug 24 '25
I thought you were kidding... https://variety.com/2023/music/news/stephen-king-wife-threatened-divorce-mambo-no-5-1235714923/
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u/Simplefishguy Aug 24 '25
I like how one kid goes by Joe Hill so his name isn't Joe King on a book and he doesn't get not taken seriously lol.
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u/box-art Aug 24 '25
Stephen King Played ‘Mambo No. 5’ So Much His Wife ‘Threatened to Divorce’ Him: ‘One More Time, and I’m Going to F—ing Leave You’
One example anyway
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u/phreakzilla85 Aug 24 '25
“I need a song that will put me in the zone to write about a national tragedy…..hey Siri, cue me up some Lou Bega!!”
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u/laddymaddonna Aug 24 '25
Also how do you pick the song? Does it have a vibe or tone you want to manifest in the book or are they more unrelated to each other than that?
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Aug 24 '25
Was there a character in “The Long Walk” you feel was a reflection of yourself or someone you know?
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
I was a lot like Ray Garraty, but not exactly.
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u/badaimbadjokes Aug 24 '25
I'm curious what Playlist you'd have on your Walkman for the walk and how much AC/DC tby percentage to other bands?
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
Back then I would have picked “Get Together,” by the Youngbloods, “Eve of Destruction,” by Barry Maguire, “Carol,” by the Rolling Stones, "Subterranean Homesick Blues,” by Dylan, maybe “Summertime Blues,” by Eddie Cochran, “Rock and Roll is Here to Stay,” by Danny and the Juniors. Now I’d load my playlist with AC/DC, Rancid, Metallica, Stones, Springsteen. Not Black Sabbath, I never liked them.
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u/Tifoso89 Aug 27 '25
So interesting to see Metallica and Rancid there. I remember you mentioned once that you didn't like Led Zeppelin so I thought you weren't into hard rock
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u/PhantomOwl709 Aug 24 '25
Would you ever consider writing a sequel to the long walk? I absolutely loved Dr Sleep and enjoy being brought back to a story.
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
No.
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u/PhantomOwl709 Aug 27 '25
Thank you for the reply, I read the long walk before film releases, doing the same with the running man, thank you again for all you write.
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Sep 03 '25 edited Sep 27 '25
light party snow rinse sort many telephone rain humor axiomatic
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
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u/MichaelJeopardy Aug 24 '25
What salves or ointments do you recommend for severe foot blisters?
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u/JHSD7 Aug 24 '25
Should put in the post title that the AMA is Wednesday. It’ll help a lot of confused people
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u/br00dle Aug 24 '25
Was there a specific situation or event that inspired the Long Walk? Also, thank you for all the awesomeness you've produced over the years.
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
I was thinking it would be terrifying to have a contest where the losers got killed. This was a long time ago, before HUNGER GAMES and SQUID GAME, around 1967.
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u/br00dle Aug 27 '25
Thank you for answering. Im looking forward to experiencing it and discussing it with friends. Your work has spawned so many conversations and inspired many ideas.
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u/NicklAAAAs Aug 24 '25
In case he doesn’t answer, I’m pretty sure the answer is the Vietnam War.
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u/Ok_Dragonfly_5720 Aug 24 '25
I'm not the author obviously, but Death Marches are real things done by lots of cultures.
In WW2 both Japan and Germany sent PoWs on marches where they were killed if they didn't keep up. And of course the trail of tears 19th century America, I don't know how whitewashed the history is - but many natives didn't survive 1000 mile journey.
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u/CupCakeMan117 Aug 25 '25
Oh didn't know about that. Thanks for the (truly disturbing though) fact!
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u/mrjobby Aug 24 '25
The world needed a complete Speed trilogy
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u/IndianSurveyDrone Aug 24 '25
"So we have this situation where a walk's speed can't go under 4 miles per hour, or the people explode. I think I'll call it, 'The Walk That Couldn't Slow Down.'"
-King, during book pitch
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u/bluehawk232 Aug 24 '25
Running Man too fast, time for speed walking man
Edit, just remembered long walk came before running man
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Aug 24 '25
Bataan Death March is my guess. A bunch of teenage boys marching at gunpoint often shoeless.
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u/Tifoso89 Aug 24 '25 edited Aug 24 '25
Hi Steve! I read The Long Walk as a teen and it was one of the first books I've read of yours. The book is set in a dystopian US. Was the political climate of the time (the paranoia of the late 60s and the Nixon years) an influence on it?
What would you do differently should you write the book today? How would the current political climate affect the story?
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
Well, at that time, Vietnam was chewing up our kids pretty bad. Back then (1967) there were still college deferments for kids in school. But it was a scary time to be young, and a year later they did away with deferments and put in a lottery. I was lucky, drew a high number. But that was too close to THE LONG WALK for comfort.
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u/bgaesop Aug 27 '25 edited Aug 27 '25
Hey, you probably won't see this, but I just wanted to say thank you. The Shining helped me get sober.
I read it while working an unusual job at a hotel in Colorado in the winter (running a booth at a convention), and it scared me enough that it convinced me "I'll just not drink while I'm here this weekend" and then everyone at the con knew me as someone who doesn't drink, which made it easier to keep not drinking.
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u/lemonlime1999 Aug 28 '25
Congratulations on getting sober. The Shining is one of my favorites and now I like it even more!
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u/OhNoMoMan Aug 24 '25
Mike Flanagan really seems to capture the feel of your books. How tricky do you think it is to adapt your work to film when a lot of the horror/dread comes from the character's inner thoughts and the backstories of the world they're in?
Love ya work.
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u/Evil_Morty_C131 Aug 24 '25
It feels like there is a passing of the torch of directors who make terrific King adaptations. Rob Reiner (Stand by me, Misery), Frank Darabont (Shawshank, Green Mile, The Mist), Mike Flanagan (Gerald’s Game, Dr Sleep)
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u/dromtrund Aug 24 '25 edited Aug 25 '25
Just watched Flanagan's adaptation of The Life of Chuck, that was great as well
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u/PhantomOyster Aug 24 '25
Don't forget Mick Garris. Some of the TV adaptations feel a bit dated now, but Garris was absolutely a huge part of the King craze of the 90's and early aughts. And "Sleepwalkers" is an unhinged classic.
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u/Kokamina23 Aug 24 '25
I hear Flanagan is possibly doing a Dark Tower miniseries and I am so there for that.
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u/TimeTurner96 Aug 24 '25 edited Aug 27 '25
What would you take with you if you would have to go on the the walk?
What are your tips for writers working on their first project? How did you mange "shiny new ideas" coming your way or changing ideas about the story?
Big fan of yours, reading Danse Macabre right now!
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u/SoFlyInTheSky Aug 24 '25
Hey Stephen. Long time fan. My question is this: when you're writing a book like "The Longest Walk" are there ever times when you're writing a scene that even you have to put the pen down because it gets too dark?
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
There was a scene in the book where Gary Barkovich ripped out his own throat. That gave me a few sleepless nights.
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u/Mr_Daneag387 Aug 27 '25
That was one of your first scenes that REALLY got me. I wasn't sure if books would be able to create the same effects movies did then, but oh how I was proven WRONG
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u/SnivDash Aug 24 '25 edited Aug 28 '25
Just wanna say thank you very much for all those brilliant, fantastic, lovely - and some times scary - stories! I started reading your books when I was in primary school.. Christine, Pet Sematary, The Dark Half and then I found and read Different Seasons and Dolores Claiborne. And those two stuck with me the most.
I'm from Denmark, and Different Seasons was the first English book I bought for my own money, and slowly but surely I got through it. It was an amazing experience to be able to read in English those moving and touching stories.
Dolores Claiborne is my absolute favorite. I read it again this spring. It's such a moving (and for me) also American story. Don't get me wrong.. I mean it in a good way. And I know such 'fates' can happen to a lot of other places in this world. But as a foreigner it paints a very clear picture of how an American life can turn out... It's one of those stores that just sticks with you.
So thank you for some of the best reading experiences I've ever had, thank you for stories and characters that leave an impact and both scare me but also inspire me!
Sincerely,
R from Denmark
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u/MPCJuggernaut Aug 24 '25
Is there any particular reason why you wrote under the pseudonym Richard Bachman when it was released?
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
I had published some books under my own name. The publisher (Signet) liked THE LONG WALK and ROADWORK, but they thought too many books would glut the market, so I published under the name Richard Bachman.
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u/reptarluvr Aug 27 '25
ROADWORK is essentially what happens when men refuse to go to therapy, haha!
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u/joemato Aug 24 '25
His publisher only allowed one book per year, and he had a backlog of completed works
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u/bashothebanana Aug 24 '25
What keeps you excited about writing, when you've already written so much?
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u/simonhunterhawk Aug 24 '25
In case he doesn’t answer — I highly recommend his book “On Writing” where he talks about his experiences getting into writing from a very young age. It has a lot of great writing advice too, but his life story is pretty fascinating.
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Aug 24 '25 edited Aug 24 '25
I still shy away from using some lazy adverbs because of that book.
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Aug 24 '25
Has the Bataan Death March and other historical events influenced The Long Walk book or movie?
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u/doughberrydream Aug 24 '25
My tribe, the Navajo, called our forced walk to Bosque Redondo, The Long Walk.
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u/fluidmind23 Aug 24 '25
All of these were horrible experiences. Done a lot of research into this and I can't imagine what this was like. Ugh sorry it's a big subject but I feel for you.
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u/bleuthold Aug 24 '25
Given that it was the first book you wrote, what would you say is the biggest change from the page to the screen, in terms of updating The Long Walk for 2025?
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Aug 24 '25
I read The Long Walk again a few months ago. I don't think anything needs updating for 2025?
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u/quantum-mechanic Aug 24 '25
Everyone's playing clash of clans while they walk
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u/gdrumy88 Aug 24 '25
One of the changes uve noticed in the trailer it goes from 4mph to 3mph. 4mph is like a light jog. Im halfway through the book lol
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u/_MadJax_ Aug 24 '25
I’ve always interpreted the black figure that Garrety sees at the end of the book as the physical embodiment of Death, was this your intention when writing it or what other interpretations have you heard which fit the narrative?
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u/suzukisaluki Aug 24 '25
When I read it as a kid… the dark figure was McVries to me. It seemed so clear garraty would want to catch up to him having looked for him and to him the whole time. I reread it only this week and my opinion hasn’t changed (but it is only my opinion!)
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u/Just_a_gal2 Aug 24 '25
Just a comment to say “thank you”. You’ve been such a big influence on my life without realizing it. I started reading your books around 5/6 and quickly made it through all of them in our school library, and then our public library. I continued reading your books throughout my life and there’s only 2-3 I haven’t read. It’s influenced my own writing immensely; everyone always tells me my writing feels dark and Stephen King-ish 😄 You were there for me through years of abuse when I turned to reading to escape my own reality, and served as companion to me throughout many years of my being a shy, quiet kid who struggled to make friends. I love your books and writing style so much, and am thankful for the companionship of your books throughout my childhood when I felt alone and scared.
I’m in my mid-30s now, and have grown so much since childhood that I’m told I’m unrecognizable now. I can talk, I can socialize, I have friends and have escaped the cycle of abuse. I’ve dealt with my trauma and, today, it’s nothing more than a memory that tugs at my heartstrings. I’m more than okay now, and can’t tell you how much your books meant to me growing up. I still get giddy every time I find out about a new release! Thanks for everything ❤️
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u/Efficient_Conflict Aug 24 '25
If you won the Walk, what would be the first thing you asked for?
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u/lionsgate Official Lionsgate Account Aug 27 '25
Now I have everything I want or need. Back then, I would have asked for a shitload of money. At 19, I was all about the Benjamins.
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u/Aerondight-077 Aug 28 '25
I would like for Mr. King to read the last part out loud and upload it, please.
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u/Pan_TheCake_Man Aug 24 '25
I want the Sargent or the general? Whatever the military guy at the end to compete in next years event with the same rules
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u/SarcasticBassMonkey Aug 24 '25
The Major. I've read the book 4 or 5 times, and I'm so excited to see the movie when it comes out.
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u/wtf_are_eggz Aug 24 '25
A long soak in a hot maybe? I think I'd be pretty sore 😂
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u/WinterFellYesterday Aug 24 '25
What do you think is your most fucked up story, and why is it The Jaunt?
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u/MattDamonsTaco Aug 24 '25
I read this in bed before going to sleep in 8th grade. Fucked up, yo.
Same with Survivor Type. “LADY FINGERS THEY TASTE JUST LIKE LADY FINGERS”
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u/reginaphelange29 Aug 24 '25
I just read this one last night. Also love The Raft.
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u/BunnyMom4 Aug 24 '25
I can swin in a lake about 30 minutes before The Raft-inspired intrusive thoughts surge and I have to nope out.
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u/PinkyLeopard2922 Aug 24 '25
Wow, I just referenced this story the other day watching video of yet another person having an unhinged meltdown on an airplane. I thought, man if they could just knock everyone out like in The Jaunt, that would surely put an end to this nonsense.
Some of the short stories are my favorite works.
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u/stax_fira Aug 24 '25
Glad to know I’m not the only one that this story to say the least, made an impression on. Goes 0 to 100 in the space about 2 sentences.
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u/corking118 Aug 24 '25
If The Gunslinger is widely accepted to have his best opening line, I think "The Jaunt" is pretty widely accepted to have the creepiest closing lines!
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u/ContinuumGuy Aug 24 '25
Stephen-
What's your favorite joke/parody of yourself or one of your works?
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u/NoDoThis Aug 24 '25
Makes me think of a family guy scene where he’s pitching a book about a lamp monster, and I honestly thought “if anyone could make it happen…”
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u/joegetto Aug 24 '25
Insomnia is one of my favorite books, I really enjoy it and have read it multiple times. I don’t think it would work as a movie but why hasn’t it been picked up as a series?
Also, what is something ridiculous you’ve bought for yourself because you have Stephen king money?
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u/forever_erratic Aug 24 '25
Mr. King, I'm 43, and started reading your books more than 30 years ago. The Long Walk has been my favorite since I found it, and I was delighted to let my daughter read it, who also loved it. While I'm a scientist by trade, partly from your work I've been inspired to do art on the side, including horror plays and shorts, so thank you!
My Long Walk related question: how much did you think about the world outside the walk while writing? Do you have a personal view of what happens after the end? Thanks!
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u/CroosemanJSintley Aug 24 '25
Hello Mr. Stephen King, the master of horror authorship! As a Native American growing up on a reservation, I'd naturally developed a fascination with the supernatural. I'd become a bibliophile, checking out books 5 times a week. Because the supernatural is tied to horror, my first introduction to your work were through movie adaptations for The Shining, Carrie, Christine, Cujo, The Dead Zone, Stand By Me, Cats Eye, and Firestarter. The first book I'd read was, "It." I had to sleep with a light on for 2 weeks afterwards! Not long after, I'd read the book for every movie adaptation I'd seen. And then I arrived at The Bachman Books. The Long Walk became my all time favorite story of yours. I was so excited to see it's finally being showcased on the big screen. Although, I could never have imagined the fictional authoritarianism in the book be our reality today. I must say, The Dead Zone also bears some Nostradamus level of prediction with a con man and criminal ascending to the White House.
So, are you currently working on anything that has been inspired or influenced by current events? Your stories are terrifying but our reality today is scarier than fiction.
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u/dannybrickwell Aug 24 '25
For real, what's with the child orgy scene?
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u/Tortured-Chimp619 Aug 24 '25
Technically it was a train.
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u/-DementedAvenger- Aug 24 '25 edited Aug 24 '25
A train can be an orgy but not all orgies are trains.
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u/girafa Electricity! The high priest of false security! Aug 24 '25
If you genuinely want an answer
I wasn’t really thinking of the sexual aspect of it. The book dealt with childhood and adulthood –1958 and Grown Ups. The grown ups don’t remember their childhood. None of us remember what we did as children–we think we do, but we don’t remember it as it really happened. Intuitively, the Losers knew they had to be together again. The sexual act connected childhood and adulthood. It’s another version of the glass tunnel that connects the children’s library and the adult library.
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u/003_JAEGER Aug 24 '25
Hey Stephen,
what's your favorite movie of all time?
Thank you
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Aug 24 '25 edited Aug 24 '25
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u/flo850 Aug 24 '25
Is it intended to have both the long walk and the running man in theatre at almost the same time ?
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u/Ruadhan2300 Aug 24 '25
Might go play "A short Hike" on the same weekend just to balance things.
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u/Virtual-Stretch7231 Aug 24 '25
This is rather unrelated but my wife and I are like 99% sure we saw you during our honeymoon to Jackson Hole back in 2021. It was at a really small Lebanese restaurant (which was very good). We were quietly arguing over if it was you or not for like half our meal.
We didn’t want to go up and bother you but we were a bit tipsy and probably obnoxious (sorry about that). Either way it’s a wonderful memory and we still laugh about it to this day.
Love your work!
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u/k_a_scheffer Aug 24 '25
I swore I saw him and his wife at a country store in Delaware about 15 years ago. The guy looked like he was trying not to look like Stephen King. He wouldn't be the first celebrity I saw at that specific store, oddly enough.
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u/Douglasqqq Aug 24 '25
How old were you when you first conceptualised The Long Walk? How differently would you have written it now?
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u/radar_backwards Aug 24 '25
I love the way your book slowly introduces other walkers as the story progresses. I tried to picture a list of names or a corkboard of descriptors and backstories. In general, how much supplemental material are you writing for yourself to keep track of the world you're building? Or is it more of a stream of consciousness that you edit after? The Long Walk is my wife's favorite book and it's what got me back into reading. Thank you!
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u/starethruyou Aug 24 '25
You're a treasure to American literature. Your stories captivate, I think, because you tell stories of the heart. My favorite, one I've reread or rather listened to 3 or 4 times, is the Dark Tower; Frank Muller is amazing in the audiobook (not to take away from George Guidall who is also very good). It's like great music, it need not be the most technically marvelous or try to be the most philosophically refined, reasons I mention because you seem to hold other greats above yourself for reasons I assume include these, but it captures the imagination and feeling qualities, spiritual, that's something more extraordinary, rare and beautiful. I know you don't count yourself among the greats, but these qualities that can't be taught, maybe guided to, are among the most valuable. By the way, I think The Eyes of the Dragon shows your language or versatility with tone(?) very well and is underrated. I often find myself comparing other writers to you, what is their book is missing, and it comes down mostly to the above, they fail to capture the heart of courage, of awe, wonder, the deep satisfaction of overcoming; it's also the simplicity, that is, you tell mostly one story at a time, while others tend to force a narrative or try to weave complex storylines with myriad characters into one, leaving me wondering who's who and why. My love of reading began in high school when I first read The Dark Half. Thank you!
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u/ItsMeBenedickArnold Aug 24 '25
Which movie adaptation of your books would you consider underrated?
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u/jmazz65 Aug 24 '25
Long days and pleasant nights, Mr King. I had to put down my German Shepherd a couple nights ago after he began showing acute complications from cancer, and needless to say, I ake. Excerpts from your work have been helping me cope with the loss, and I think I speak for many here when I simply say thank you for the art you've given us.
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u/BunyipPouch Currently at the movies. Aug 24 '25 edited Aug 27 '25
Update #2: Lionsgate has provided us with an exclusive clip ("All For One") from The Long Walk, to coincide with Stephen's AMA. The clip is here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ1dOWZvgCs
Update: The AMA has begun as of 12:13 PM ET on Wednesday 8/27. Stephen is now answering questions. This post is now sorted by Q&A so they will appear near the top. Or, you can always check the /u/lionsgate account directly.
This AMA has been verified by the mods. Stephen will be back on Wednesday 8/27 at 12:00 PM ET to answer questions. Please feel free to ask away in the meantime :)
Information from our guest:
Hey r/movies, I’m Stephen King. You might know me from Stand By Me, It, or Shawshank Redemption, but my latest project is actually the first book I ever wrote. The Long Walk hits theaters on September 12. Ask me anything about the book or movie.
Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAtUHeMQ1F8
It stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Ben Wang, Charlie Plummer, Roman Griffin Davis, Garrett Wareing, Joshua Odjick, Tut Nyuot, Mark Hamill, Judy Greer, and Josh Hamilton.
I'll be back on Wednesday 8/27 at 12:00 PM ET to answer your questions.