The Next Stephen King Movie Is the Best Shot at Breaking a Surprising 6-Year Streak

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Stephen King adaptations are currently enjoying a surge in quality. Despite being based on a novel King published under the name Richard Bachman, Francis Lawrence’s *The Long Walk* is proving successful, largely due to positive word-of-mouth. Viewers are particularly praising the performances of Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson, and the film’s willingness to deviate from the original book with a new and impactful ending. Increasingly, King’s stories are serving as inspiration for filmmakers with unique visions, and the next director adapting his work has established themselves by doing just that.

Okay, so Edgar Wright is tackling Stephen King’s *The Running Man*, and I’m already intrigued. Forget the Arnold Schwarzenegger version – this one sounds like it’s going back to the source material. What’s really interesting is that, unlike some recent King adaptations like *The Long Walk* which needed a lot to grab attention, this movie doesn’t *need* to do anything flashy. It’s got all the ingredients to finally break a six-year slump for Stephen King on the big screen, and honestly, that’s a pretty exciting prospect.

Stephen King Movies Haven’t Been Box Office Hits in Recent Years

The recent surge in adaptations of Stephen King’s work is largely thanks to the success of the *It* movies. Warner Bros. took a chance on the horror story about Pennywise the Dancing Clown and the town of Derry, Maine, in the mid-2010s, and it paid off big time. Even with a cast of mostly unknown young actors, the first *It* film made over $700 million worldwide. This was an incredible result for an R-rated horror movie, and it quickly led to a sequel. *It Chapter Two* arrived two years later with a much larger budget, bringing in established stars like James McAvoy and Jessica Chastain to play the grown-up versions of the characters.

Despite having a bigger budget, *It Chapter Two* didn’t perform as well as the first *It* movie, receiving poorer reviews and barely reaching $400 million at the box office. This marked the beginning of a pattern for Stephen King adaptations. Since 2019, no King movie – including *Doctor Sleep* (the sequel to *The Shining*) and the remake of *Pet Sematary* – has earned over $100 million. While factors like the rise of streaming and high ticket prices contributed to this slump, the upcoming *Running Man* adaptation has the potential to reverse this trend.

The Running Man Can Be as Big as It Wants to Be

It looks like the upcoming film, *The Running Man*, will likely be rated R due to its intense violence and mature content. Usually, an R-rating hurts a movie’s box office potential, but director Edgar Wright often breaks the mold. His film *Baby Driver*, which shares a similar style, earned over $200 million globally despite the rating. A major reason for that success was the film’s strong cast, including stars like Jon Hamm, Lily James, Jon Bernthal, and Jamie Foxx. The movie was packed with action, as nearly every scene featured at least one well-known actor in a fight.

Let me tell you, the cast for *The Running Man* is seriously impressive – it’s got the same kind of depth and talent you saw in *Baby Driver*. We’re talking William H. Macy, Lee Pace, Michael Cera, Colman Domingo, Josh Brolin, and the fantastic Emilia Jones, all sharing the screen. But leading the charge is Glen Powell, and this guy *knows* how to pick a hit. After his amazing turn in *Top Gun: Maverick* – which, let’s be real, was a massive blockbuster – I have a feeling he’s going to knock it out of the park again.

Reaching $1 billion in revenue would be a huge achievement for the team behind the film, but earning $100 million would still be a significant success, demonstrating they’re changing a long-standing pattern with Stephen King movie adaptations. Surprisingly, *The Running Man* could pave the way for studios to consider a new kind of Stephen King story for future films.

The Running Man hits theaters on November 14, 2025.

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2025-10-10 03:40