Convention - SDCC 2025 : Stephen King’s The Long Walk leaves Hall H shaken with trailer and exclusive preview

By Mulder, San Diego, Convention Center, Hall H, 25 july 2025

The annual pilgrimage into the heart of fandom that is San Diego Comic-Con reached one of its most unforgettable moments this year when Stephen King’s The Long Walk marched into Hall H on July 25, 2025. Thousands of attendees, many of whom had queued overnight in the summer heat, found themselves rewarded with a presentation that combined reverence, spectacle, and sheer intensity in a way few panels ever achieve. From the moment the lights dimmed, the energy in the room shifted. A hush fell across the audience as a pre-recorded message from Stephen King appeared on the massive screen, his presence immediately legitimizing what fans already suspected: this was not just another adaptation of one of his works, but a film that bore his full blessing. His words set the tone perfectly, bridging the decades between the novel’s 1979 publication and its arrival in 2025 as a major motion picture, and situating the film as part of a lineage of dystopian tales that have long haunted and fascinated his readership.

The trailer that followed proved to be a jolt to the system. Directed by Francis Lawrence, who has honed his skill at conjuring oppressive atmospheres in works like I Am Legend and The Hunger Games, the footage played less like a conventional teaser and more like a gauntlet thrown to the audience. Viewers were thrust into the stark, merciless world of the Walk, where failure to keep pace equals death, and the weight of endurance presses down like an invisible hand. The response in Hall H was almost ritualistic: the silence of absorption gave way to waves of applause, cheers, and nervous laughter, the sort of collective release that only happens when an audience realizes they are witnessing something momentous. This was not mere marketing—it was an induction into the nightmare that has haunted readers since the days when King published the book under his Richard Bachman pseudonym.

The discussion that followed was guided with precision and enthusiasm by Eric Vespe and Anthony Breznican, the co-hosts of The Kingcast podcast. Their deep knowledge of King’s bibliography and their fan-first sensibility made them the ideal interlocutors for the afternoon, creating a conversation that felt as accessible as it was incisive. Joining them on stage were stars David Jonsson, Tut Nyuot, Garrett Wareing, and the ever-charismatic Mark Hamill, alongside producer Roy Lee and screenwriter JT Mollner. Each panelist contributed not only anecdotes about the grueling production process but also reflections on the emotional and philosophical weight of the story. Garrett Wareing recalled the toll of walking for hours each day under intense conditions, a process that stripped away artifice and left only raw emotion, while Tut Nyuot emphasized the camaraderie that formed among the cast as they endured the same grueling rhythms their characters experienced. The sense of authenticity that emerged from these shared struggles resonated with the audience, who could sense that the film was shaped by lived exhaustion as much as by script and camera.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the spotlight often swung toward Mark Hamill, who once again demonstrated why he remains one of the most beloved figures in fan culture. Known for his mixture of humility and theatricality, Hamill electrified the room when he theatrically pulled open his jacket to reveal a shirt emblazoned with the words “Based on the novel by Richard Bachman.” It was a gesture loaded with significance, acknowledging the alter ego King once used to publish the novel and underscoring the panel’s reverence for the source material. The audience roared, swept up in the moment’s mixture of wit, respect, and fannish delight. Hamill then shifted gears to discuss his role as The Major, describing the character as both a bureaucratic enforcer and a chilling embodiment of systemic cruelty. Drawing from memories of real-world authoritarian discipline he had witnessed in his youth, Hamill explained that “I know who this guy is,” framing The Major as a psychological scar rather than just a villain. His remarks deepened the room’s appreciation for the character and promised a performance that would linger in memory long after the credits roll.

The panel then escalated into a crescendo of exclusivity with the reveal of a 22-minute extended preview of the film. Introduced by a special video message from Francis Lawrence and actor Ben Wang, the footage immediately plunged the audience into the mechanics of the Walk, outlining the rules, the dread, and the slow erosion of humanity as the march begins. What made the presentation unforgettable, however, was not just the content itself but the deliberate act of censorship. Midway through, an on-screen disclaimer warned that certain moments were “too intense” to be shown in Hall H, and the footage was abruptly blacked out. Rather than frustrating the crowd, this move fueled a feverish curiosity, amplifying the sense of danger and exclusivity. Fans whispered and speculated in the darkness, their imaginations filling the void with images perhaps more terrifying than what was withheld. When the lights came back up, the room buzzed with the electric sense of having glimpsed something forbidden, a perfect reflection of the novel’s own uneasy power.

Beyond the spectacle, the panel also allowed for deeper reflection. JT Mollner spoke candidly about the adaptation process, emphasizing his determination not to dilute the brutal honesty of the novel. He explained that every choice, from dialogue to pacing, was guided by a desire to preserve what he called the “DNA and themes that Stephen King baked into his original novel.” His insistence that the team “didn’t want to neuter the book” drew audible appreciation from the audience, particularly long-time readers who feared the adaptation might soften the narrative’s existential despair. That reassurance, combined with the palpable camaraderie of the cast and the evidence of the trailer itself, suggested that this film would stand as one of the most faithful and harrowing King adaptations yet brought to screen.

As the panel drew to a close, the screen filled with a single chilling question: “How far could you go?” The words lingered in the darkened hall, echoing in the minds of the audience as they shuffled out into the convention corridors. It was more than a tagline; it was a challenge, a mirror held up to each person present, daring them to contemplate the boundaries of their own endurance. In that moment, Hall H ceased to be just a venue for promotion and became instead an extension of King’s story—a place where fiction and reality blurred, leaving a residue of unease. For those lucky enough to be in attendance, the panel was not just an announcement but an experience, one that married spectacle with substance and left its participants walking out as if they, too, had been part of the march.

With its U.S. release date set for September 12, 2025, The Long Walk now stands as one of the year’s most anticipated films, not just because of its pedigree or its cast, but because of the way it has already managed to inhabit the imaginations of fans. From Stephen King’s blessing to Mark Hamill’s bravura showmanship, from the blackout of forbidden footage to the promise of a narrative that confronts human endurance at its most extreme, this adaptation seems destined to join the pantheon of King works that transcend genre and linger as cultural touchstones. Hall H bore witness to that transformation, and for those present, the panel was not merely an event to be remembered—it was the beginning of a long, unsettling journey that will culminate when the Walk begins on the big screen.

Discover the official interviews videos : 

itw Mark Hamill

itw JT Mollner

itw Tut Nyuot

itw Roy Lee

itw Garrett Wareing

itw David Jonsson

You can found in our Flickr page our photos

Synopsis : 
Young Garraty is going to compete in “The Long Walk,” a competition with 100 participants. The event will be broadcast on television and watched by thousands of people. But this isn't just any walk—it's a game with no rules...

The Long Walk
Directed by Francis Lawrence
Written by JT Mollner
Based on The Long Walk by Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
Produced by Roy Lee, Steven Schneider, Francis Lawrence, Cameron MacConomy
Starring  Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Tut Nyuot, Charlie Plummer, Ben Wang, Roman Griffin Davis, Jordan Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, Judy Greer, Mark Hamill
Cinematography : Jo Willems
Edited by Mark Yoshikawa
Music by Jeremiah Fraites
Production companies : Vertigo Entertainment, About:Blank
Distributed by Lionsgate (United States), Metropolitan FilmExport (France)
Release date : September 12, 2025 (United States), October 
Running time : 108 minutes

Photos and video hall H : Haitem Gasmi / Mulderville