A former star from a popular 1980s science fiction movie based on a Stephen King story has given their support to the new adaptation. It’s been a fantastic year for Stephen King enthusiasts, with one more film still to come. Fans often feel uneasy when new King movies are announced, as adaptations don’t always stay true to the source material. While some, like Misery, are faithful to the book with only minor adjustments for the screen, others, like The Shining – a classic horror film – significantly deviate from the original story, much to Stephen King’s dismay.
As a longtime Stephen King enthusiast and movie critic, I’ve seen a lot of adaptations that miss the mark. But the upcoming remake of The Running Man, hitting theaters November 14th, sounds genuinely promising. While the 1980s version took the basic premise and ran with it in a very different direction, this new take, directed by Edgar Wright, seems to be much more faithful to King’s original story. In fact, Glen Powell recently told Screen Rant that Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred in the ’87 film, believes this is the first time the story has truly captured Stephen King’s vision. That’s a pretty strong endorsement, and as someone who appreciates a faithful adaptation, I’m cautiously optimistic.
It’s great to know Stephen King is a fan of The Running Man, especially since he’s known for being honest about movies he doesn’t like. He recently shared on social media that he thought it was “fantastic,” calling it “DIE HARD for our time” and a thrilling movie everyone can enjoy.
The Running Man Is Expected To Be Loyal To Stephen King’s Vision
As a huge movie fan, I remember the ’80s action flick The Running Man starring Arnold Schwarzenegger – it was a real cult classic, but honestly, it didn’t have much in common with the original story. What’s really interesting is that Stephen King actually wrote the book under the name Richard Bachman. And now, we’re getting a new movie adaptation! It’s actually the second Bachman book to be adapted this year, following The Long Walk. Apparently, Schwarzenegger has said this new Running Man will be much more faithful to the themes of King’s original novel, which is exciting to hear.
Edgar Wright first gained attention with his hilarious zombie film, Shaun of the Dead. Despite being a comedy, the movie showed genuine respect for classic zombie tropes and traditions, even earning the praise of zombie film pioneer George A. Romero. Romero was so impressed that he asked Wright and actor Simon Pegg to appear in his next film, Land of the Dead. Wright followed up with Hot Fuzz, a critically acclaimed buddy cop movie that, like Shaun of the Dead, used comedy without making fun of the action genre it celebrated.
As a movie fan, the thing that gives me the most hope about Edgar Wright tackling The Running Man is how brilliantly he handled Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. That comic book series was hugely popular, and the fans were protective of it. If he’d messed that up, there would have been a serious backlash! But he totally nailed it – he honored the source material and made a genuinely fun, exciting movie. Some even call it the best film based on anything resembling a video game, which is wild considering it wasn’t from a game! Seeing how well he did with Scott Pilgrim makes me feel a lot better about his take on Stephen King’s The Running Man.
The Running Man follows Ben Richards, who enters a dangerous reality TV show where he’s hunted by assassins. If he survives for 30 days, he wins a large sum of money. This version of the story differs from the original film; instead of being a prisoner, Ben is a father trying to earn money for his daughter’s medical treatment. The film also stars Josh Brolin, Colman Domingo, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, and William H. Macy.
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2025-11-02 22:10