With an adaptation of Stephen King’s The Long Walk having been in development for a year now, New Line has finally landed a director for the project.

As first reported by Deadline, New Line has brought in Trollhunter and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark’s André Øvredal to direct the effort, with James Vanderbilt having already penned a screenplay.

The Long Walk was first released back in 1979, with King writing the book under the pseudonym of Richard Bachman.

For those unfamiliar with the book, the official blurb on the novel reads:

First published in 1979, The Long Walk is set in future dystopian America ruled by an authoritarian. The country holds an annual walking contest in which 100 teens must journey, non-stop and under strict rules, until only one of them is still standing alive and receiving a prize. The story told of a 16-year old walker named Raymond Garraty and the teens, some good, some bad, some mysterious, in his orbit.

Expect more on New Line’s adaptation of The Long Walk as we get it.

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