Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Role In New Running Man Movie Explained

Be warned, this article contains spoilers for the movie The Running Man. Director Edgar Wright has revealed a surprising connection between Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character in the original 1987 film and Glen Powell’s character in the upcoming 2025 remake. Both actors play a character named Ben Richards.

Early in the new movie, when Ben is watching programs on the Network, a $100 bill from the film’s fictional currency, New Dollars, is visible. The bill depicts Arnold Schwarzenegger in a suit, with a serious expression.

Director Wright told CinemaBlend that Arnold Schwarzenegger appears on the movie’s posters because, in the film’s version of America, he’s the President. The filmmakers decided that anyone, even those not born in the US, could run for president in this world, allowing Schwarzenegger to move from being California’s governor to the White House. Here’s what Wright had to say about it:

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—Arnold Schwarzenegger, not a character named Ben Richards—eventually becomes president.

Edgar Wright points out that the concept of Arnold Schwarzenegger as president wasn’t first introduced in The Running Man. He notes that the 1993 film Demolition Man, written by Daniel Waters, already included a reference to President Schwarzenegger. Wright later decided he wanted to build on that earlier joke.

I really admire Daniel Waters, the writer of Demolition Man, because he originally made that joke in his film.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

Ten years after the movie Demolition Man came out, Arnold Schwarzenegger became the governor of California in 2003 and served until 2011. He’s also been portrayed as the President of the United States in popular culture, notably in the 2007 film The Simpsons Movie, where Harry Shearer provided his voice.

Ross Feguson/©Paramount Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s brief appearance is simply a playful reference to the original 1987 movie, but the director’s comments do make you wonder about how The Running Man concludes. In this new version, Ben inspires a public uprising against the Network, and he shoots producer Dan Killian (Josh Brolin) just as the credits start.

In this story, powerful organizations like the Network, and the people who run them, truly control things – more so than the official government. Now that the Network and its leader, Killian, are gone, everyone is wondering who will take their place and how power will be divided.

It appeared Schwarzenegger’s president was mostly a face for powerful corporations, and people – including Ben – won’t likely accept that without a fight, as they try to reclaim their lost power. It’s interesting to think about what will happen to the president now, especially considering that Schwarzenegger previously played the role of someone fighting against this kind of corruption, as Ben’s ally.

As a fan of both the original and this new take, I can tell you that the 2025 film, The Running Man, is intentionally self-contained, much like Stephen King’s book. That means don’t expect any follow-up on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character – it seems those questions won’t be addressed. But honestly, the cameo itself isn’t about building a larger narrative. It’s a really clever and enjoyable nod to Schwarzenegger and his legacy with this story, and I appreciated it for what it was.

2025-11-16 23:24

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