David Jonsson as McVries, Cooper Hoffman as Garraty, Jordan Gonzalez as Harkness, Ben Wang as Olson, and Tut Nyuot as Baker in 'The Long Walk.' Murray Close/Lionsgate Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Stephen King had one condition for the film adaptation of his book, The Long Walk: he wanted a lot of brutal violence. During a recent interview with The Times U.K., the prolific author criticized the way violence is depicted in superhero movies, such as some in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC Studios. Oftentimes, those films don't show the realistic, gory consequences of violence, despite there being a lot of destruction. "If you look at these superhero movies, you'll see ... some supervillain who's destroying whole city blocks but you never see any blood," King said. "And man, that's wrong. It's almost, like, pornographic." Related Stories TV 'The Institute' Renewed for Second Season at MGM+ Movies 'The Long Walk' First Reactions: "Harrowing, Traumatizing" Film Ranks With Stephen King's Best He added of the way violence is presented in The Long Walk, "I said, if you're not going to show it, don't bother. And so they made a pretty brutal movie." The Long Walk, based on King's 1979 dystopian horror novel, follows a group of teenage boys who compete in an annual contest known as "The Long Walk," where they must maintain a certain walking speed or get killed. The last remaining walker wins the contest. The movie was directed by Francis Lawrence, with a script penned by JT Mollner. Superhero movies will typically avoid graphic violence to appeal to a broader audience, including families and younger viewers. However, there have also been plenty of R-rated superhero pics released that don't hold back on bloody violence, such as 2024's Kraven the Hunter, the Deadpool films, 1998's Blade, 2021's The Suicide Squad and 2019's Hellboy, among others. The Long Walk arrives in theaters on Sept. 12 THR Newsletters Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day Subscribe Sign Up Tokyo International Film Festival Carlo Chatrian Named Jury President at Tokyo Film Festival Venice Film Festival 2025 Julian Schnabel's Big Swing 'In the Hand of Dante' Gets Exuberant Embrace in Venice Paris Jackson Paris Jackson Slams Colman Domingo for Saying She's "in Support" of Michael Jackson Biopic: "I Wasn't Involved at All" Wuthering Heights Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi Get Close and Personal in Emerald Fennell's 'Wuthering Heights' Trailer Paul Giamatti 'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale' Review: Overstuffed but Endearing Film Provides Fitting Closure to Devoted Fans Venice Film Festival 2025 'In the Hand of Dante' Review: Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot and Gerard Butler Star in Julian Schnabel's Bonkers, Wildly Uneven Literary Adaptation Tokyo International Film Festival Carlo Chatrian Named Jury President at Tokyo Film Festival Venice Film Festival 2025 Julian Schnabel's Big Swing 'In the Hand of Dante' Gets Exuberant Embrace in Venice Paris Jackson Paris Jackson Slams Colman Domingo for Saying She's "in Support" of Michael Jackson Biopic: "I Wasn't Involved at All" Wuthering Heights Margot Robbie, Jacob Elordi Get Close and Personal in Emerald Fennell's 'Wuthering Heights' Trailer Paul Giamatti 'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale' Review: Overstuffed but Endearing Film Provides Fitting Closure to Devoted Fans Venice Film Festival 2025 'In the Hand of Dante' Review: Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot and Gerard Butler Star in Julian Schnabel's Bonkers, Wildly Uneven Literary Adaptation