It was unusual. It first crossed my desk in 2006. Akiva Goldsman, with whom I used to be doing I Am Legend, prompt it. I hadn’t heard of it, and he gave it to me and thought that I would prefer it and thought it could make a fantastic film. So I learn it and I cherished it. It grew to become my favourite King guide, however then after I stated ‘yeah, let’s do it!,’ the rights had gotten nabbed up by Frank Darabont. Then over the subsequent 19 or so years, I heard that it was nearly occurring, not occurring, nearly occurring.
Within the meantime, I gave it to my youthful son who was a giant reader, and someday I used to be strolling down the hallway of my home, noticed his copy of the guide sitting on a shelf, and simply thought to myself, ‘God, I ponder what’s happening with The Lengthy Stroll?’ And that day, I acquired a name from Roy Lee, who produced the film with me, saying, ‘Hey, would you be eager about doing The Lengthy Stroll? I’ve acquired the rights to it.’
Had been you struck by the parallels between this guide and The Starvation Video games?
I used to be form of conscious. I had learn The Lengthy Stroll earlier than getting concerned in Starvation Video games, so it’s form of unimaginable not to consider The Lengthy Stroll when you’re engaged on one thing like The Starvation Video games. However weirdly after I had the chance once more to do The Lengthy Stroll, the issues that made me wish to do it had been very totally different.
The large one for me on The Lengthy Stroll, and what all the time caught with me, was the camaraderie of the younger males, their relationships and their dynamics, and the bonds that they kind. I all the time thought that was probably the most lovely factor concerning the story, as violent and as terrifying as it’s. So when it got here time to make The Lengthy Stroll, I knew some individuals would form of lump it right into a Starvation Video games-like field, although it precedes that by way of concepts. However I made it for utterly totally different causes.
All of the actors are terrific, however Cooper and David are significantly superb. How did you land on them?