2025 has been a fantastic year for Stephen King fans, with several big-screen adaptations of his work receiving critical praise. Movies like *The Monkey*, *The Life of Chuck*, and *The Long Walk* have successfully brought his unique stories to life. And there’s more on the way! The world of his famous novel *IT* is growing with the upcoming series *Welcome to Derry*. Plus, a new and faithful adaptation of his classic dystopian thriller, *The Running Man*, is heading to theaters, promising a fresh take on the story.
Stephen King recently watched *The Running Man* and shared his enthusiastic approval on social media. He called it “fantastic” and compared it to *Die Hard*, praising it as a thrilling film that appeals to everyone. This is a huge compliment, considering *Die Hard* is a classic and highly influential action movie. King is also known for being critical of adaptations of his own stories – his disapproval of Stanley Kubrick’s *The Shining* is well-known. Therefore, his positive reaction strongly suggests that this new version of *The Running Man* successfully captures the essence of his original idea.
The Running Man Is a Different Take on a Popular Story
When people hear the title *The Running Man*, they usually think of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger movie – a fun, action-packed film that became a favorite of the 80s. However, that movie took a lot of liberties with the original story, which has always bothered Stephen King and his fans. The film turned the book into a showcase for Schwarzenegger, focusing on an innocent man forced to fight colorful opponents in a closed arena. The new version, directed by Edgar Wright, promises to be much closer to King’s original novel.
The original 1982 novel, written under Stephen King’s pen name Richard Bachman, is a far more intense and realistic story than the 1987 film. The main character, Ben Richards (played by Glen Powell in the new movie), isn’t a wrongly accused police officer, but a poor and desperate man struggling to survive in a harsh, controlling future. He’s not fighting for freedom, but to win prize money to pay for his sick daughter’s medical care. The game in the book is also very different – it’s a worldwide, month-long chase where the contestant is labeled a public enemy and hunted by everyone. This new film will stick closely to that dark and bleak concept, bringing back the book’s central ideas about how the media can be used to control people, the struggles of poverty, and the conflict between different social classes. Director Dale Wright has emphasized that this isn’t a remake of the 1987 movie, but a fresh adaptation of the book, and Stephen King agrees with this approach.
The Running Man is scheduled to be released in theaters on November 14, 2025.
If *The Running Man* were adapted faithfully to the original book, what would you be most thrilled to see? Share your thoughts in the comments and join the discussion in the ComicBook Forum!
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2025-10-14 15:40