There are no spoilers for The Long Walk below
We’ve heard so much about Cooper Hoffman, 22, the late legend Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son, since his star-making turn in The Long Walk. Having seen that incredible movie, the buzz over this kid is deserved. Cooper can act. However we’re not hearing enough about his costar, British actor David Jonsson, 32, who absolutely nailed that part. He was tasked with the Magical Black Man role and my main complaint with the film is that screenwriter JT Mollner didn’t do enough to temper that. Stephen King’s original short story that this was based on came out in 1979 and I would hope he knows better now, but I read 2013’s Doctor Sleep and don’t think much has changed. (At least writer director Mike Flanagan was aware of this and arguably didn’t repeat King’s mistakes in his 2019 film adaptation.)
We’ll get another chance to see Hoffman and Jonsson on screen together because it’s been announced that they’re in talks for a new movie. It’s called The Chaperones and is being co-produced by A24 and Plan B productions. Hoffman and Jonsson will play partners “hired to transport a troubled teen across the country.” The Hollywood Reporter has the news, along with the names of the director and screenwriter, neither of whom I was familiar with.
David Jonsson and Cooper Hoffman, who are both starring in Lionsgate’s Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk, are in talks to reunite for The Chaperones, a drama that A24 has boarded.
Plan B and Icki Eneo Arlo, the Robert Pattinson-fronted banner, are producing the feature, with filming set to begin later this fall in locations in Ohio and New Mexico.
The project has generated some buzz in the indie film sphere, as it has India Donaldson directing. The filmmaker made her feature debut with Good One, a drama that screened at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals and earned her an Indie Spirit Award nomination for best first screenplay and National Board of Review Award for best directorial debut.
Written by Sebastian Black, the script sees a drug dealer and his two slacker buddies hired to transport a troubled teen across the country.
Cooper is one of the “chaperones,” a young man who is aggressive and reckless. Jonsson is Cooper’s partner, a reluctant participant in the chaperoning business.
I wish we were hearing about Jonsson in a starring role on his own, but I enjoyed these two together and it’s good news that they’re being courted for another film. The Long Walk is doing well at the box office, and I’m so happy that horror movies are having a moment. We’ve been told that they have limited appeal, but with the success of Sinners, The Conjuring: Last Rites, Weapons and even Final Destination: Bloodlines, there’s room in the superhero and kid movie roster for scary movies.
The Long Walk is quite hard to take, particularly if you’re a mom to a young adult man. You have to like brutal, devastating films, but I love crying at the movies and heartbreak felt good at my local AMC. Maybe we’ll get to laugh with Jonsson and Hoffman next.
Photos credit: Nicky Nelson/Wenn/Avalon
I haven’t read everything, just the first sentence. I had NO idea that was Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s son! He is also a phenomenal actor, like his father.
This was the best/worst film I’ve seen all year (shoot, scratch that because I also saw Sinners, both great). And it was a huge surprise. It was recommended to me and a friend because we were looking for a scary film. It’s not scary at all. So that was surprising. But it’s so, so good.
And yes, as a mother to teen sons, it was a difficult movie to watch. Worth it though.