Stephen King’s Bleak Dystopian Thriller Is Finding New Life as a Streaming Must-Watch

Two of Stephen King‘s novels were adapted for the big screen in 2025, and one became a streaming hit. The Long Walk, directed by Francis Lawrence, premiered in September and has found new life on Prime Video. This feature is based on a 1979 novel of the same name, which King published under the pen name Richard Bachman.

The Long Walk ranked #10 on Prime Video’s Top 10 Movies worldwide on December 16, sitting underneath Elf. The Long Walk takes place in an alternate universe where the United States is under a totalitarian military regime. Each year, there is an event called the “Long Walk,” where 50 teenage boys from each state are randomly selected to walk nonstop at 3 miles per hour or risk execution on live television. The event ends when there’s one survivor left. This film stars Cooper Hoffman as the lead, Ray, and features David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus), Garrett Wareing (Independence Day: Resurgence), Ben Wang (Karate Kid: Legends), Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Tut Nyuot, and Charlie Plummer.

Since The Long Walk‘s release, it has grossed over $62 million at the box office. It has been praised by fans and critics, earning a Certified Fresh critics score of 88% and a high audience score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. While it wasn’t nominated for an Oscar, it received the “Robert Altman Award” at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, which will take place next year.

Other Stephen King Books That Received Adaptations

King has published numerous books throughout his career, many of which have been adapted for the screen, such as Carrie, The Shining, The Shawshank Redemption, and IT, to name a few. Due to his work attracting Hollywood’s attention, King has also earned above-the-line credits for some of these adaptations. For example, in the 1989 adaptation of Pet Sematary, King was listed as the writer and played the role of the Minister. Meanwhile, in the 1997 TV series The Shining, King served as an executive producer.

While he is known for his horror work, King has written stories in other genres. One of them is The Running Man, published in 1982. This was a thriller novel set in a dystopian United States, where Ben Richards participates in a reality TV show called “The Running Man,” in which contestants win money by avoiding a team of hitmen sent to kill them. The Running Man was adapted twice: The first was in 1987, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and directed by Paul Michael Glaser. The second was in 2025, directed by Edgar Wright and starring Glen Powell.

The Long Walk is available to stream on Prime Video.

Release Date

September 12, 2025

Runtime

108 Minutes

Director

Francis Lawrence

Producers

Roy Lee, Steven Schneider

• 

  Cooper Hoffman

  Raymond Garraty / #47

• 

  David Jonsson

  Peter McVries / #23