Paramount+’s Biggest Streaming Movie of the Year Has a Major Problem (And It Ruined the Book)

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The new series The Running Man is proving popular on Paramount+, but it does have one significant issue. This 2025 adaptation of Stephen King’s classic novel comes from director Edgar Wright, known for films like Shaun of the Dead and Baby Driver. Glen Powell stars as Ben Richards, a contestant who goes on the run from pursuers in a dangerous game show, hoping to win the prize money and help his family.

When The Running Man first came out in theaters, it wasn’t a big success for Paramount. It was a major box office disappointment in 2025, earning only $69 million despite costing $110 million to make. Reviews were also mixed, with critics saying the movie felt rushed and its ideas weren’t very strong. However, the film has found a new audience thanks to streaming on Paramount+, introducing it to a whole new group of fans.

2025’s The Running Man Completely Changes Stephen King’s Original Ending

The movie The Running Man stays remarkably true to Stephen King’s original story, especially in its first two parts. It updates a few things to feel more current and makes the main character a bit more sympathetic, but the core story and setting remain largely unchanged. However, the film significantly diverges from King’s vision in the final act, completely altering the original ending.

In the film The Running Man, Ben takes Amelia hostage and flees to an airport, boarding a plane to Canada with McCone and a team of hunters posing as the flight crew. During the flight, Killian offers Ben a chance to become a star hunter—and get his own show—if he kills McCone. After Ben sees footage revealing his wife and daughter were murdered, he turns on the hunters and kills them. The Network then reroutes the plane to their headquarters and broadcasts a fabricated video claiming Ben intends to crash it into their tower, leading them to shoot the plane down. Later, it’s revealed the footage was fake and that Ben was actually inspiring a rebellion against the Network. Secretly, Ben had escaped the plane and ultimately kills Killian during a riot.

Similar to the film, the book follows Ben and Amelia as they board a plane with McCone and a team of hunters. This time, Ben agrees to Killian’s terms and eliminates the hunters upon discovering the tragic news of his wife and child’s deaths. He’s wounded in the ensuing fight. Before succumbing to his injuries, Ben alters the plane’s flight controls, directing it towards the Game Network’s main building. The plane crashes into the tower, resulting in the deaths of both Ben and Killian.

The film differs from the book in a couple of key ways. Instead of Ben being attacked on a plane, the plane is shot down, and it’s then revealed that Ben survived. Also, the movie shows that Killian was responsible for faking the deaths of Ben’s family, meaning they are still alive at the end of the film. In the book, however, Ben’s family is actually dead.

I’ve always been a fan of The Running Man, and while the movie is great, I’ve noticed they definitely softened the ending compared to Stephen King’s book. It makes sense, though – a big Hollywood movie probably wouldn’t want an ending as dark and shocking as the original. Apparently, the book’s ending, with the hero flying a plane into a building, felt a little too close to the 9/11 attacks for comfort, which is understandable. It’s a shame, because it does make the movie feel a bit less impactful than the book, like it’s missing some of that original bite.

This Running Man Is Still A More Faithful Adaptation Than The 1987 Movie

The upcoming 2025 film adaptation of The Running Man is expected to be a more accurate portrayal of the source material than the 1987 movie, even if it alters the book’s ending. The original film, directed by Paul Michael Glaser and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, significantly deviated from the novel, particularly in its depiction of the main character, Ben. In the 1987 version, Ben is a police captain wrongly accused of murder after refusing to suppress a food riot. He’s then offered a place on the game show as a ratings grab after escaping from prison.

The 1987 movie The Running Man received negative reviews, with critics finding that its departures from the source material weakened the story. For years, Stephen King fans hoped for a more faithful adaptation, and the 2025 film appeared to be fulfilling that wish. Although the 2025 version has a different ending, it remains truer to King’s original story than the earlier film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

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2026-05-22 18:11