Students of 1980s action movies will be aware of The Running Man, the Arnold Schwarzenegger vehicle based on the Stephen King (okay, Richard Bachman) book of the same name. A trailer has just dropped for a so-called remake, directed by Edgar Wright of Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead fame, but it’s less a remake and more of a book-accurate reimagining.
Start Running Man
You wouldn’t guess that from the trailer unless you’re a long-time Stephen King-obsessed reader. Watching Glenn Powell as protagonist Ben Richards running into and out of conflict while the jaunty, upbeat soundtrack throbs in the background doesn’t scream ‘source-accurate film’. And yet, if you’re familiar with the original Running Man novel, it’s immediately obvious that Wright has stayed as close to King’s novel (and not Arnie’s movie) as possible.
This also, unfortunately, means that fans of the novel can see where every hyped moment in the trailer comes from and what the eventual outcome will be. Stephen King, best known for his spookier novels, managed to smash The Running Man out of the park, keeping up the action until the final page of the book. It seems Wright’s take will do the same. Whether the director wimps out of some outcomes remains to be seen, but the setup is present for those who know what to look for.
For everyone else, seeing Glen Powell take on an entire country (mostly) baying for his blood and a brief shot a fame (plus a little extra money) should be enough reason to fork over cash for a ticket. The titular game show sees contestants competing to stay alive for 30 days. The longer they survive, the more money their next-of-kin receive — because nobody is expected to go all the way. How all that works out… that’ll have to wait for 7 November. Or you could pick up a copy of The Bachman Books, which also play host to the excellent Rage and the even better The Long Walk.
