Stephen King Approved of the Major Book Changes in the Long Walk Ending – ryan
The Following Article Contains Spoilers for The Long Walk.
The Latest Stephen King Adaptation, The Long Walk, Has relayed in theaters to a position Critical and Fan Reception. Directed by Francis Lawrence and Written by Jt Molner, The Film Stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Charlie Plummer, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill.
IT FOLLOW A YOUNG MAN NAMED RAY GARRATY (HOFFMAN) WHO IS SELECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE LONG WALK, A Government Scheme in Which One Young Man From Each State Participates in a Deadly Walking Contest in what the financial recipes stable and one Wish. Participants Cannot Break Their Pace of 3 Miles for Hour, Down from the Novel’s 4 Miles An Hour, or They Will “Receive Their Ticket,” A Euphemism for Dying.
Set in a dystopian Alternate United States, The Film Explores Themes of Vengeance, Solidarity, Integrity, and Implicit Submission. It is based on the novel of the same name, thiugh certin elements have been changed. For Example, Garraty’s Friend and Ally Throughout The Long Walk, Peter McVries (Jonsson), Receives a More Sympathetic Backsory.
Likewise, The Ending Received a Creative Overhaul. Speaking to Entertainment WeeklyEXPLAINED LAWRENCE:
“I knew that People were really gonna love mcvries. What i also loves about it was, just narratively, the idea that we open on a kid in a car and the audience is gonna be programmed to believe, Clearly, I love turns. What?!
Howver, that was not the Only Major Change Made to The Long WalkS ‘ Story. In the novel, Garraty’s Father Had Also died, but the film adds a new to this by Having the Major (Hamill) be the Killer. Lawrence Explained that His and Mollner’s Garraty Had “DIFFERENT MOTIVES FOR Going Into The Long Walk: “Chiefly, Revenge and His Mother.
AS A Result, this affected how he approached the ending of the film. The Director stored: “You don’t really Want the guy who’s in it for vengeance to win, right? Becuses’ Really not what the story’s About. “

Both the film and the novel have a tragic ending for garraty, but in the very different Ways. While the kinhearted mcvries wins in the Movie, Garraty Comes Out on Top in the Original Story. Howver, it is far from a happy ending as he walks off into the darkess after a mysterious figure, the implication being he won the game but lost his mind.
McVries winning does, as lawrence strued, subverted expectations. Audiences Expects Their Point-of-View Character to Be the Winner, and Book Readers Wouuld Expect Garraty to Win. This is heigtened by The Long Walk USING the scneg where mcvries sites down to let Garraty win, only this time, the latter piss Him back and sacrifices himself.
AS A Result, McVries use his wish to request a gun and kills the Major Himself, Making Good on Garraty’s Revenge. IT MIRRORS The Novel’s Ending in a Way, Because in ENAKING HIS FRIEND’S PLAN, MCVRIES LOES A PART OF HIMSELF. throughou The Long WalkMCVRIES MAINTAINED AN Optimistic Spirit and Discussed How Murder Taks the Beauty Out of Life. MAKING THIS CHARACTER A MURDERER HIMSELF SHOWS THAT THE COST OF THE WALK OUTWEIGhed His Gain.
While the ending of The Long Walk is a significant departure from the novel, it Still carries a tonal resonance that reflects the themes of the film. Interesting, Hamill Revealed in the Same Interview That King “loved“The New Ending. At its core, The Long Walk Tells the story of a young man led by a corruption system to pursue glorely, the bonds he forges along the way, and the limits of his internal morality, regardless ending audiences consumes.

The Long Walk
7/10
- Release Date
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September 12, 2025
- Runtime
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108 minutes
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Cooper Hoffman
Raymond Garraty / #47
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