#493: 'Til You Drop, Pt. 2 — The Long Walk

Stephen King's 1979 novella finally makes it to the big screen.

Episode 493 of the The Next Picture Show podcast, hosted by Genevieve Koski, Keith Phipps, Tasha Robinson & Scott Tobias, titled "#493: 'Til You Drop, Pt. 2 — The Long Walk" was published on September 30, 2025 and runs 77 minutes.

September 30, 2025 ·77m · The Next Picture Show

Summary

It took decades in development hell for an adaptation of Stephen King’s THE LONG WALK to trudge its way into theaters, and now that it has, we’re of split opinions on how Francis Lawrence’s film goes about distinguishing itself from its source material, particularly in its graphic depiction of violence. There’s also the matter of the film’s very different ending, which we dig into once we move into Connections to compare how THE LONG WALK’s endurance contest compares to the one in Sydney Pollack’s THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY?, in terms of how voluntary they actually are, what spectators get out of watching participants suffer, and what passes for victory in a contest where no one really wins. Then, in Your Next Picture Show, we devote a little time to revisiting a film franchise that came up repeatedly in our discussions of both these films: THE HUNGER GAMES. Please share your thoughts about THEY SHOOT HORSES, DON’T THEY?, THE LONG WALK, or anything else in the world of film, by sending an email or voice memo to [email protected], or leaving a short voicemail at (773) 234-9730. Next Pairing: Paul Thomas Anderson’s ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER and Sidney Lumet’s RUNNING ON EMPTY Intro: 00:00:00-00:01:59 The Long Walk discussion: 00:01:59 - 00:30:14 The Long Walk / They Shoot Horses Connections: 00:30:14-01:01:49 Your Next Picture Show and goodbyes: 01:01:49-end Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode Description