The Running Man Includes Major Stephen King Easter Eggs for His Most Famous Book (And the Timing Is Perfect)

by

As a huge Stephen King fan, what I’ve always loved about his work isn’t just how much he writes, but how it all connects. The Dark Tower series is definitely the main thread tying everything together, but it’s the little surprises – characters and places popping up unexpectedly – that really get me. You might meet someone in a book like ‘Salem’s Lot, like Father Callahan, and then suddenly they’re a key player in The Dark Tower. And places like Castle Rock, Maine? They seem to exist in their own little universe, showing up in stories like Cujo and The Stand, making the whole world feel so real and interconnected.

This week brings the release of The Running Man, the third Stephen King story to be adapted for the big screen this year. It’s important to note this isn’t a remake of the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger film, but a fresh take on King’s original book. Unlike many of King’s stories, this one leans more towards dystopian science fiction than straight horror, meaning it doesn’t easily connect to his other, more supernatural works. However, The Running Man does delve into a familiar King theme and includes plenty of knowing nods to fans.

The following contains spoilers for The Running Man.

The Running Man Makes a Pit Stop in Pennywise’s Hometown of Derry, Maine

Originally published as a Richard Bachman novel, The Running Man paints a bleak picture of America’s future, where the gap between rich and poor is enormous. Ben Richardson is driven to participate in a dangerous game show, “The Running Man,” hoping to win money for his ailing daughter. The show quickly turns into a nationwide manhunt where he’s hunted for entertainment. To survive, Ben flees his home and attempts to cross the country, aided by a network of friends who direct him from one safe house to another—one of which is located in Derry, Maine.

Fans of Stephen King will instantly recognize Derry as the main setting for his novel, IT. This small town in Maine is where Pennywise the Dancing Clown terrorizes people, and it’s been featured in two movies and a famous TV miniseries from the 1990s.

In Edgar Wright’s film The Running Man, this is the location where Glen Powell’s character, Ben Richardson, seeks help from Michael Cera’s Elton Parrakis to avoid being discovered. Before they connect, Richardson cleverly disguises himself as a blind Irish priest while navigating the streets of Derry. As he enters the town, viewers can spot two hidden references to the movie IT.

First, you see a Chinese restaurant that someone off-screen claims serves the best takeout in Maine. Though it’s only visible for a moment, it appears to be “The Jade of the Orient,” a significant location in the story of IT. However, even more importantly, as Ben walks down the street, a shop window filled with red balloons – Pennywise’s signature – comes into view.

The movie’s setting is particularly relevant right now, coinciding with the weekly release of new episodes of IT: Welcome to Derry. While some might assume this timing is intentional, the story’s connection to Derry actually comes directly from Stephen King’s original novel, The Running Man. The book featured Derry as a key location in the character Richards’ journey, and the movie follows that storyline closely. This isn’t a crossover created for the sake of connecting the two stories, as the rights to IT adaptations are held by Warner Bros., not Paramount, which owns The Running Man.

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/feature/it-welcome-to-derry-introduces-a-shining-character-weve-never-seen-in-live-action-before/embed/#

Read More

2025-11-14 20:13