The Running Man Director Reveals Stephen King’s Verdict on Remake

Edgar Wright opened up about Stephen King’s reaction to his upcoming adaptation of The Running Man. The filmmaker shared how the author responded after watching the new take on his classic story.

Edgar Wright discloses what Stephen King thinks of The Running Man remake

Edgar Wright revealed that Stephen King gave his full approval to the upcoming remake of The Running Man. Speaking to Variety, Wright said he emailed King before the film’s New York Comic-Con panel to ask if he could share the author’s opinion publicly. King responded, “Like it? I love it! It’s faithful enough to the book to keep the fans happy, but different enough to make it exciting for me.”

King’s endorsement marks a rare instance of open praise for an adaptation of his work. The 1982 novel, written under the pen name Richard Bachman, was first adapted in 1987 as an action thriller starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. Wright emphasized that his new version, starring Glen Powell, is not a remake of that film but a direct adaptation of King’s dystopian book. “That movie is its own thing,” Wright explained. “This is a new adaptation.”

Wright described The Running Man as the most ambitious and physically demanding production of his career. It was filmed across Bulgaria and Scotland under extreme weather conditions. He aimed to capture the intensity of the story’s survival game while grounding it in human emotion. Powell, who plays protagonist Ben Richards, said, “Edgar wanted it to feel brutal,” adding that he committed to performing much of the physically taxing action himself.

The film, distributed by Paramount, follows a father who joins a deadly televised competition offering a billion-dollar prize to anyone who can survive a 30-day nationwide manhunt. Wright noted that the story’s themes of media manipulation and technological control feel particularly relevant in 2025. The Running Man opens in theaters on Nov. 14, 2025.

Source: Comingsoon.net