Actor Mark Hamill is opening up about his time filming the upcoming movie, The Long Walk, based on a 1979 novel by Stephen King. The film focuses on a group of young men who are attempting to win a large prize by continuously walking at three miles per hour. Those who fail to keep up at the pace are killed by soldiers.
People magazine reported that Hamill, who plays the villainous character the Major, said he wanted to bond with his castmates, which include Cooper Hoffman, David Jonsson, Garrett Wareing, Joshua Odjick, and Charlie Plummer, during a 2025 San Diego Comic Con panel. However, the film’s director, Francis Lawrence, informed Hamill that Hoffman, who plays protagonist Raymond Garraty, wasn’t interested in spending time with him during the film’s production.
“I had planned to have a get-together, where everybody would come over to the hotel. [Lawrence said] ‘Cooper doesn’t want to meet you. … He’s afraid he’ll like you,'” said Hamill during the July 27 panel.
Hamill clarified he completely understood why Hoffman didn’t want to interact with him.
“And I totally respect that. I understood that, so I canceled [the get-together], and I did it on a case-by-case basis,” said Hamill.
In addition, Hamill said he and Hoffman had a long conversation after filming wrapped.
“As soon as we did the last shot with Cooper, he immediately came over to my trailer and we talked for hours,” said the actor.
Hamill also said he respected the boundaries of his other castmates if they weren’t interested in spending time with him during the production of the movie. According to Hamill, he would only speak to them if they approached him.
“I’d talk to them. Some of them wanted to stay away, for obvious reasons. Because I’m their archnemesis. I’m the antagonist,” said Hamill to the Comic Con audience.
Hamill expressed his love for The Long Walk during a July 2025 interview with LRMonline.com. He explained that while the story is “so basic, it puts people under incomprehensible pressure.”
“To see how they react in a human way is in many ways, reaffirming. The resilience and the commitment and the camaraderie and the conflicts, that’s where all the colors and emotions come in,” said Hamill.
The Long Walk is premiering on September 12.