According to André Øvredal, the Zodiac screenwriter apparently wrote his adaptation to The Long Walk before New Line Cinema acquired the rights to the book out of his own pure love for the story. Stephen King’s novel follows 100 teenage boys who are selected to go on a long walk where they must maintain a speed of four miles an hour. If they break the rules of the walk, they will be shot on sight. The winner is promised anything he wishes for the rest of his life.