Mark Hamill says The Long Walk is a "faithful" adaptation of the Stephen King book, and that it was a "thrill" to have the author approve of his casting: "That was motivation and validation for me"

Mark Hamill as the Major in The Long Walk.

Mark Hamill says The Long Walk is a faithful Stephen King adaptation compared to others that we've seen over the years, and that it was thrilling to have the author approve of his casting as the Major.

"It's faithful. That's what I love. I think when you go to see something where they take the premise and then, as a jumping off point – it's nothing like the book," Hamill explains to GamesRadar+. "Stephen King had some early experiences that were unpleasant for him. And he's such a prolific author and such a successful author. Over the years, he was able to gain casting approval, script approval, director approval across the board."