Another Stephen King book is being turned into a feature film, and André Øvredalo will be at the helm. Deadline reports that Øvredalo will direct King’s 1979 novella The Long Walk, which was written under his pseudonym, Richard Bachman.
The story takes place in a dystopian future, where 100 boys are selected for a long walk. They have to maintain speeds of 4 miles an hour, and receive fewer than three warnings an hour. Break these rules, and they’re shot dead. The last one standing, however, gets whatever he wants for the rest of his life. Despite the high stakes, the boys form an unlikely camaraderie along their journey.
James Vanderbilt (Zodiac) wrote the screenplay and is producing alongside Bradley Fischer and William Sherak.
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Øvredalo is also directing the upcoming adaptation of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, with Guillermo del Toro producing. He previously helmed the claustrophobic horror, The Autopsy of Jane Doe, which came out in 2016.
The Long Walk marks the third King property currently in development over at New Line. There’s IT: Chapter Two, which is out this summer, and Salem’s Lot, which is being produced by James Wan (The Conjuring) and written by Gary Dauberman (IT).
