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● Movie Guide · Last updated May 18, 2026

The Long Walk: Plot, Cast, Ending & Where to Watch

2025 · United States of America · Science Fiction, Thriller, Horror · 1h 48m · English

The Long Walk is a 2025 United States of America science fiction film directed by Francis Lawrence. This guide covers the plot, full cast, an overview of the ending, where to watch, and similar films you might want next.

Read Ending Explained → Movies Like The Long Walk Where to Watch
Science FictionThrillerNotable
Original Title
The Long Walk
Director
Francis Lawrence
Writers
JT Mollner
Country
United States of America
Runtime
1h 48m
Release
Sep 10, 2025
§ 01 Plot · 6 min read

The Long Walk Plot Summary

The Long Walk is a 2025 American dystopian survival thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence and written by JT Mollner. It is based on the 1979 novel by Stephen King. The film stars Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Joshua Odjick, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer, and Mark Hamill.

● Quick takeaway

The Long Walk (2025) is a United States of America science fiction film, directed by Francis Lawrence, running 108 minutes. In a dystopian 1970s America, fifty teenage boys take part in a deadly annual walking contest, forced to maintain a minimum pace or be executed, until only one survivor remains. Stars Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson. Critical reception: IMDb 6.7/10, Rotten Tomatoes 88%, Metacritic 71/100. Tagline: "The task is simple: walk or die.." This guide covers the plot, full cast, ending, and where to watch.

§ 02 Cast · 6 roles

Cast and Characters

Cooper Hoffman headshot
Cooper Hoffman
as Raymond Garraty #47
Hoffman, three years after his breakout in Paul Thomas Anderson's Licorice Pizza, anchors the film as the audience's point-of-entry walker. Garraty is the King-novel surrogate — the Maine boy who believes the contest can be won on grit alone — and Hoffman plays him without trying to project the older-than-his-years gravity his late father brought to similar roles. The casting works because Hoffman lets Garraty be a teenager: scared, performative, and unable to read the contest's true math until very late.
David Jonsson headshot
David Jonsson
as Peter McVries #23
Jonsson, fresh off Industry and Alien: Romulus, gives McVries the older-brother steadiness that the novel uses as the film's moral compass. McVries is the walker who has already accepted the contest's structure and is walking through it with eyes open, and Jonsson plays him with a calm that never tips into resignation. The scarred-face detail from the book is preserved, and Jonsson uses it as a quiet visual reminder of why this boy thinks he has nothing left to protect.
Ben Wang headshot
Ben Wang
as Hank Olson #46
Wang, who fronted Karate Kid: Legends earlier in 2025, brings the loudmouth-cocky register Hollywood usually wastes on him into a film that needs exactly that comedic ground floor. Olson is the early-miles entertainer whose collapse, when it comes, lands harder than the silent walkers' because the film has spent forty minutes letting him be the funniest person in the group. Wang plays the drop precisely.
Tut Nyuot headshot
Tut Nyuot
as Arthur Baker #6
Nyuot, a relative newcomer, plays Baker as the polite Southern walker whose Christianity is offered without performance and tested without irony. The role is one of the novel's quieter chambers, and Nyuot keeps Baker's faith on the page rather than in the sound mix — there are no soaring strings when he prays, and the contest does not reward his decency. The casting is exactly the kind of low-key choice King's source material rewards.
Charlie Plummer headshot
Charlie Plummer
as Gary Barkovitch #5
Plummer, the lead of Andrew Haigh's Lean on Pete and a steady supporting presence since National Treasure, takes the walker the rest of the group has decided to hate and refuses to play him as a villain. Barkovitch is the contest's most unsettling psychological problem — a kid who has decided that being despised is a survival strategy — and Plummer plays the strategy as something the boy himself does not fully understand.
Garrett Wareing headshot
Garrett Wareing
as Stebbins #38
Wareing plays Stebbins as the contest's strategist — the walker who hangs at the back of the column, conserves energy, watches the others burn out, and waits. The role is the novel's most quietly important, and Wareing keeps Stebbins legible without explaining him. The performance reserves itself for the last reel, where the film hands Stebbins the conversation everyone has been waiting for him to have with Garraty.
§ 03 · Spoiler Zone · Read with care

Ending Overview

How does The Long Walk end? Our spoiler-aware breakdown walks through the final act beat by beat — including the choices, motivations, and ambiguous final shot that viewers most often debate.

Read full Ending Explained →
§ 04 Watch · Updated May 18

Where to Watch The Long Walk

Availability may vary by region and change over time.

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Starz Apple TV Channel
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Starz Roku Premium Channel
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Starz
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Starz Amazon Channel
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§ 06

Frequently Asked

What is The Long Walk about?

In a dystopian 1970s America, fifty teenage boys take part in a deadly annual walking contest, forced to maintain a minimum pace or be executed, until only one survivor remains.

Where can I watch The Long Walk?

See the Where to Watch section below for the current streaming, rental, and purchase options in your region.