Movies Rampage Recap

“The Running Man” Trailer Teases Much Darker Tone Than Original, Will Audiences Accept It?

“The Running Man” is finally returning, and Paramount Pictures graced us with a sneak peek of the action yesterday, which looked like a much more faithful adaptation to Stephen King’s book than the 1987 film. Most kids that grew up in the 80’s fondly remember “The Running Man” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, even if they can’t remember the plot. At the time, it wasn’t widely known that “The Running Man” was based on a Stephen’s King novel, because the author initially wrote the short novel under a different pseudonym, Richard Bachman.
Although King was outed in 1984 and had officially fessed up to the fake name by 1985, 2 years before the movie release, the internet wasn’t around to spread facts like this… so most moviegoers never realized the connection between the macabre author and the dystopian sci-fit fun film until the 90’s or even later. The first film had some similarities to King’s original source material, but was very different than the original book. Warning, beyond this point there are spoilers for “The Running Man” trailer, just released by Paramount Pictures.

At the time, it wasn’t widely known that “The Running Man” was based on a Stephen’s King novel, because the author initially wrote the short novel under a different pseudonym, Richard Bachman.”

The trailer almost immediately lets us know that the game in this film will take place throughout society, not in a controlled environment (like Arnold’s adaptation). This tells us that we’re not going to get “American Gladiator” style villains like the original, but we’ll get to see a twisted world that would like to watch someone die on camera while fighting for needed medical care for their family. The film is bound to draw political discussions about health care and societal taboos and expectations, but hopefully the brutality of an entire society trying to hunt down someone for entertainment is what takes the main stage here. The original plot is that the film takes place in 2025, which makes the dystopian views even more stinging.
King’s book “The Running Man” was still early on in his career but notably 3 years after he wrote “The Long Walk”, also under the same pen name – “The Long Walk” will be released in September of this year as well as “It: Welcome To Derry” in October marks a big year for the longtime author who is still known by loyal fans as the King of horror.

The trailer also teases the daily videos required to be filmed as part of the game by the main character, Ben Richards, portrayed by Glen Powell. This was a prophetic detail imagined by King in his original 80’s book, and they have the feel of a mental breakdown combined with a live Tiktok video that inexplicably went viral. Powell seems to deliver a tour de force performance here, combined with Edgar Wright directing, this movie could end up turning a lot of heads. Set to be released on November 7th of this year.
The newest ‘Running Man’ adaptation has also cast Katy O’Brian, Daniel Exra, Karl Glusman, Josh Brolin, Jayme Lawson, Michael Cera, Emilia Jones, William H. Macy and Lee Pace. There has been no news of and Arnold cameo, although his face allegedly appears on the currency for the money used in the society where the movie takes place. The synopsis for the upcoming film from the movie’s official website elaborates a bit more on the plot, which helps us understand the trailer better. “In a near-future society, The Running Man is the top-rated show on television—a deadly competition where contestants, known as Runners, must survive 30 days while being hunted by professional assassins, with every move broadcast to a bloodthirsty public and each day bringing a greater cash reward. Desperate to save his sick daughter, working-class Ben Richards is convinced by the show’s charming but ruthless producer, Dan Killian (Josh Brolin), to enter the game as.a last resort. But Ben’s defiance, instincts and grit turn him into an unexpected fan favorite—and a threat to the entire system. As ratings skyrocket, so does the danger and Ben must outwit not just the Hunters, but a nation addicted to watching him fall.”


Lee Pace is set to play one of the top hunters and in the trailer, it’s obvious that Josh Brolin has brought his A-Game for this role. Powell seems all over the place as he is emotionally battered by pretty much everyone throughout the trailer as he gets more and more desperate. The fact that the synopsis reveals Richards’ story becomes addicting to the public tells us that costal media addiction will defiantly be one of them societal issues explored in this dark take on dystopian game shows, even for King’s standards.

What do you think? Is the trailer stacked with all the good moments, which sometimes happens with. King adaptations? Can Edgar Wright’s ‘Scott Pilgrim’ and “Ant-Man” style blend with Stephen King seamlessly? Wright’s previous film “Last Night in Soho” did not win any awards or blow away the box office so longtime fans of King might be weary of an adaptation by someone that doesn’t have a lot of horror chops, but we feel Wright will do. The source material justice here, at least going by the trailer. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *