Over the course of his career, Stephen King has seen a plethora of his stories adapted for the screen, and he isn’t afraid to share his honest thoughts on those projects. That means there are multiple examples of King criticizing films based on his works. Even when the movie is beloved by a majority of cinephiles, it doesn’t mean King will agree with the consensus (see: The Shining). So whenever a new King adaptation is on the horizon, fans are curious to hear the author’s opinion. Just a couple of months after The Long Walk (which King liked), a new take on The Running Man is about to hit theaters. Fortunately, King is a fan of Edgar Wright’s new film as well.
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In a profile for Variety, Wright recalled the time he reached out to King to ask his opinion on The Running Man. He wanted to be able to tell the crowd at New York Comic Con that King liked the movie, but he got an even stronger endorsement. “Like it? I love it!” King wrote in an email to Wright. “It’s faithful enough to the book to keep the fans happy, but different enough to make it exciting for me.”
Edgar Wright Made Some Changes to The Running Man for His Movie
One of the main talking points about Wright’s version of The Running Man is that it aims to be a more faithful adaptation of King’s original novel than the fan-favorite 1980s Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle. Schwarzenegger himself believes Wright’s The Running Man accomplished that goal, but the director still incorporated some changes to the story. Perhaps the most notable alteration is a new ending, eschewing the novel’s finale that saw protagonist Ben Richards crash a plane into Games Network headquarters — imagery that would evoke memories of the September 11 attacks for modern viewers. Wright previously shared that King approved the new ending.
Based on King’s comments, the ending isn’t the only thing Wright changed, which is an encouraging sign. The big takeaway from King’s mini review is that Wright pulled off the tricky balance of staying true to the source material’s dark, nihilistic story while still making it feel like an Edgar Wright movie. Trailers for The Running Man have sold the film as a crowd-pleasing action movie, highlighting Wright’s distinct filmmaking style. Though the dystopian premise and setting are bleak, the previews feature plenty of exciting set pieces and moments of comedy. Early reactions to The Running Man seem to echo King’s sentiments, as many have praised Wright’s vision and keen eye for action.
Ideally, the word of mouth will give The Running Man‘s commercial prospects a boost. The box office has been in dire straits for the past month and is in desperate need of some hits ahead of the always-lucrative holiday season. Wright’s never been one to break box office records before, but Baby Driver, his well-received, inventive action film, was a hit ($226.9 million worldwide). The Running Man is a big step up in terms of production budget (Variety notes it cost $110 million to make, compared to Baby Driver‘s $34 million), but Wright’s name — combined with the Stephen King brand — could draw in audiences looking for a good action movie. It could end up being an appealing option for older, male viewers amidst Zootopia 2 and Wicked: For Good.
Regardless of how The Running Man fares at the box office, it has to come as a relief to Wright that King enjoyed the film. It’s never easy bringing one of the author’s stories to life — and that doubly holds true for one that was already turned into a sci-fi cult classic decades ago. With any luck, this new adaptation will earn a similar reputation with current audiences, further cementing Glen Powell’s status as a leading man. Based on everything we’ve heard about The Running Man, all the pieces are in place for something special and it could be the best King adaptation of 2025.
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