Who Arnold Schwarzenegger Is Actually Playing In The Running Man, According To Edgar Wright

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One minor The Running Man SPOILER is ahead.

Glen Powell is taking on the role of Ben Richards in a new film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Running Man, a story previously brought to the big screen in 1987 with Arnold Schwarzenegger. Interestingly, the new film includes a playful nod to the original: Schwarzenegger appears briefly on a $100 bill. This raises the question: what role does he play in the movie?

We learned this information while talking to director and writer Edgar Wright. When Jeff McCobb questioned him about whether Arnold Schwarzenegger would be portraying the president in The Running Man, Wright shared the following response:

In our imagined future, the rules for presidential eligibility change by 2025, allowing those not born in the United States to run. As a result, the governor of California eventually becomes president – and in this scenario, that president is Arnold Schwarzenegger, not a fictional character named Ben Richards.

I was watching The Running Man the other day and noticed something really cool! When they show how much prize money contestants can win, you can actually see Arnold Schwarzenegger’s face on the bills. It’s a quick little moment, but a fun Easter egg if you’re a fan! You’ve gotta keep an eye out for it!

Arnold Schwarzenegger served as the governor of California from 2003 to 2011, and it appears his official gubernatorial portrait was actually used on a bill – a playful nod to his role in the film The Running Man. As Edgar Wright explained during our conversation:

I really admire Daniel Waters, the writer of Demolition Man, because he originally made that joke in his film. Demolition Man briefly references President Schwarzenegger, and I wanted to build on that idea.

Director Edgar Wright noted that the idea of Arnold Schwarzenegger as president isn’t new to sci-fi films. The movie Demolition Man (1993) also featured him as president. The screenplay, penned by Daniel Waters, Robert Reneau, and Peter M. Lenkov, explained that a change to the Constitution allowed Schwarzenegger to run for office because of his widespread popularity. This was a fictional workaround, as Schwarzenegger was born in Austria and therefore ineligible to be president in reality.

Arnold Schwarzenegger not only appears in the new movie, but he also approved of Glen Powell as the lead actor. He even watched the film and shared his feedback with Powell. (Interestingly, both actors were in an Expendables movie together previously!) Powell said Schwarzenegger repeatedly called the film “incredible” after seeing it, and also commented that it seemed physically demanding for Powell, considering all the stunts he performed.

Read what critics are saying about the film, including our review of The Running Man, and see it in theaters now.

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2025-11-15 17:08